Johannesburg - A foreigner suffered burns to his arms and torso after angry Soweto business owners lobbed a petrol bomb into his shop in a bid to dislodge him after he refused to get out.
Thursday’s xenophobic eruption followed an outbreak last month sparked by the deadly shooting of a teenager, allegedly by a Somali shopkeeper, in nearby Snake Park, Dobsonville.
The looting and the violence spread like a virus.
From Snake Park, attacks on spaza shops spread to Naledi, Zola, Emndeni and, finally, Bramfisherville.
The shop in Bramfischerville was one of the many stops made by business owners who had gone on a mission to shut down foreign-owned shops on Thursday.
The shopowner dug his heels in and refused to come out even after a petrol bomb was thrown into his store.
A photographer from The Star, Dumisani Dube, witnessed the man being threatened by the young Soweto men, who kept shouting: “We’ll bomb you. Get out! Get out!”
The mob tried to break in by pulling at the burglar bars and smashing them with a panga.
The shopowner screamed for mercy and offered merchandise - a box filled with cigarettes - and money.
While he was in the shop, trying to put out the fire with a blanket, another petrol bomb was thrown inside.
He told the mob he did not have the key, but eventually gave in and ran out of the shop, screaming in pain.
The skin on his back and arms was severely burnt and he had a head injury from a steel rod shoved into his face while he was in the shop.
His blue container shop was also looted.
Earlier, business owners had gathered in Orlando East to discuss closing down foreign-owned shops.
They said they had sent letters on Wednesday to warn the foreigners to close their shops on Thursday.
When the business owners arrived at the police station in Doornkop on Thursday afternoon, some foreigners had gathered there and started throwing stones at the locals.
The business owners then moved towards one of the shops in the area, but the foreigners pushed back, firing warning shots into the air.
Police arrived and cordoned off the scene, arresting the foreigners who had allegedly fired the shots.
The business owners then moved around in a convoy of about 12 vehicles - including cars, bakkies and Kombis - to Dobsonville, Snake Park and Bramfischerville to close down any shops they found open.
Some of the vehicles carried homemade petrol bombs.
About four shops were bombed.
Residents who rent out the space to foreigners were also threatened.
The convoy arrived at another block in Bramfischerville and made a bid to bomb a shop, but the shopowners quickly closed it.
Local residents came to the shop owners’ rescue when they saw what was happening and argued with the instigators.
“This is our area. We have the right to defend them,” said a resident of Ntabamhlophe, a section of Bramfischerville.
“It’s not fair for them to just come here and do as they please when they are not even from here.”
People could not simply arrive and start closing businesses without speaking to the leadership in the area, they said.
“It’s our responsibility to talk for them (foreigners). They can’t come here and kill them. If they want to throw them out, it must be done right,” another said.
The residents said they refused to be dragged into a business conflict that did not involve them. The people who had problems with the foreigners must talk to the mayor.
“They’re committing a crime. They can’t influence people to fight,” another resident said.
The police, who were on patrol throughout the day, arrived at the scene and prevented the incident escalating into a fight.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Kay Makhubela said the bombers were people who lived in areas other than the three affected.
“They were armed with petrol bombs and knives, and one foreign national was severely burnt. No arrests have been made,” he said.
Makhubela said four foreigners were arrested earlier in Doornkop when they were found in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
The convoy of local business owners dispersed late in the afternoon and calm was restored.
On Friday morning police continued to monitor the area.
"There were no incidents reported overnight but police will continue to monitor the situation," Makhubela said.
The Star and Sapa