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that country to remain calm following the killing of two Zimbabweans at a squatter camp near Johannesburg on Sunday.
Tuckshops owned by Zimbabweans in Limpopo Province were torched.
The incidents have been attributed to a resurgence of xenophobic attacks targeting mainly fellow Africans that claimed at least 62 lives, including Zimbabweans, in 2008.
The two Zimbabweans were shot dead in Johannesburg’s Diepsloot informal settlement by a Somali businessman who accused them of attempting to rob him.
The shooting angered residents who threatened to burn down shops after looting at least 19 of them.
The attacks started last week with the looting and burning down of five tuckshops belonging to Zimbabweans by a mob of natives in Liphalale town, Limpopo Province.
Zimbabwe’s consular general to South Africa Mr Godfrey Magwenzi said in an interview yesterday that the situation was now calm.
“We have engaged the police and that has been very helpful,” he said.
“Their reaction and control of the situation in Liphalale is commendable. We believe the situation stays calm for good.
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“In case of the Diepsloot incident, we have been monitoring the unfolding events closely. From what we have been getting at the moment, it appears those attacks are targeted at Somali and Pakistan nationals.
“Zimbabweans should not panic as we will continue monitoring the situation.”
But the attacks have raised fears of the chaotic situation that occurred in 2008 as South Africans targeted foreigners whom they accused of taking their jobs.
Zimbabweans living in Liphalale town said they were on high alert after numerous attempts were made on their properties and lives by South Africans in recent times.
South African police have been forced to deploy heavily to the area to prevent the attacks which have been looming since April 16.
A number of Zimbabweans living in the area were attacked on April 16, May 9, May 13 and May 16 amid reports that the South Africans were planning another onslaught against foreign nationals.
The volatile situation in Liphalale has resulted in Zimbabweans living in that area forming a committee to look into how they can live in peace.
The committee’s organising secretary Mr Jefta Mararike said in a telephone interview that the situation in Liphalale was now calm after they enlisted the services of the police and the local business community.
“The situation here was turning nasty, where we had five tuckshops burnt down by a mob of South Africans,” he said.
“They accused us of taking their jobs, business opportunities and fuelling crime. We then came up with a committee to represent our interests and engaged the police and our consulate here to assist us.”
Online Reporter