Cape Town - Since Monday, a protest under the banner of Operation Purge has been playing itself out on the streets of Pretoria.
The protest is the brainchild of community members, civil society and other stakeholders.
They are unhappy with illegal immigrants, drug dealers, illegal traders, the non-payment of tax, illegal scrap yards, brothels and unregistered churches.
The first two days of the week long protest may not have had a huge impact, but a drop in the ocean has previously gone on to create devastating waves.
Of particular concern is the fact that over the past two days, the protest targeted specifically foreign nationals.
In September 2019, xenophobic attacks escalated dramatically in Johannesburg and Pretoria and other parts of the country.
At the time, businesses belonging to the immigrants were looted, burned and destroyed, and people were assaulted.
In 2017, the residents marched to protest against African immigrants in South Africa.
However, the foreign nationals stood their ground, triggering a wave of looting of shops owned by foreign nationals, and clashes between the two groups.
In April 2015, xenophobic violence erupted after the then Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini – now late – said foreigners should go back to their home countries.
A year earlier, xenophobic attacks on the businesses and homes of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants displaced many in Gauteng.
There is a sense of déjà vu about protests such as Operation Purge, and the consequences have been devastating.
At the root of the problem is the belief that foreign nationals enjoy wealth and get jobs that should have been reserved for local people.
On Monday, a handful of police officers kept an eye on the Operation Purge protesters; the SAPS should intensify these efforts, for, if unchecked, attacks on foreign nationals could engulf Pretoria and spread to other parts of the country as witnessed in the past.
Cape Times