Pretoria - Eersterus residents are up in arms following the discovery of anti-Muslim slogans painted in parts of the Tshwane township.
The graffiti reads “No Muslims” and “F**k Muslims”.
It is believed to have been painted in the wake of Eid-al-Adha on Monday and has compelled the community to hold an urgent meeting to address the sudden wave of anti-Islamism.
DA councillor in the area Benjamin Lawrence said on Wednesday that the acts were foreign to the community.
Lawrence said the slogans were far removed from the unity that had been created since the township's inception in 1966.
He said the incident had angered residents.
Lawrence hoped that such actions would be quelled before they were allowed to spread beyond the boundaries of Eersterus.
“We cannot allow this issue to go beyond our community. We are not Muslims and Christians, we are a community, and in my opinion, this is not something that coloured people like.
“There are two religions in the coloured community and that’s Christianity and Islam. We have always had our beliefs and have always understood each other. What happened here is not an Eersterus thing. It’s not normal,” Lawrence said.
Timothy Johnson said the graffiti was intended to divide people.
He said residents would ensure that was brought to an end.
“I was surprised to hear about it this morning (on Wednesday). I would have liked to see what was written there,” he said. “I feel this is nonsense. These actions are done with the sole purpose of driving a wedge in the coloured community.
“It upsets me, especially as a real Christian, because they believe everybody has the right to serve whomever they wish. It has always been like that. I’ve been living in Eersterus since 1966 and I have never seen anything like this before.
“It was Eid on Monday and nobody bothered the Muslims because we all share everything together. Families from both religious beliefs marry into each other’s families.”
Residents in the area painted over the messages.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Sam Shibambo said the vandalism had not been reported and was, therefore, not being investigated.
Pretoria News