In a terrifying clash on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, residents of the Entabeni informal settlement in Hankey were forcefully evacuated and their shacks burned down.
The settlement is dominated by Lesotho and Zimbabwean citizens, and Xhosa people who originate from Mthatha and surrounding areas.
They had moved to Entabeni for job opportunities.
The residents work on nearby farms and at guesthouses.
Some of the evacuated residents sat at the Hankey police station on Thursday morning with their blankets and the few belongings they had managed to grab.
The police had escorted them to the police station for their own safety.
One of the residents, who declined to be named, claimed they had been attacked by Hankey locals who blamed them for the killing of a local at a tavern at the weekend.
He said they claimed he had been killed by a Lesotho citizen and demanded that all Lesotho citizens leave the small town.
The resident was originally from Mthatha.
“We don’t know who killed the person,” he said.
“We weren’t there but that’s when this started brewing.
“On Monday, the locals had a meeting and I guess that’s when they decided that the Lesotho nationals were to blame.
“They then went into attack mode and charged towards Entabeni.
“The rest of us, including some [South Africans] who now live in Entabeni, got caught in the crossfire because we were defending our homes.”
He said angry locals had then chased everyone out and set shacks alight.
Hankey residents who roamed the streets on alert while police vehicles patrolled the area towards midday on Thursday, referred questions to the police station commander, only saying tensions had been brewing for two years.
Some sat along the road with sticks and hammers.
“Ask the station commander why we’re doing this. Let’s hear what they will say to the media.
“It’s been two years,” one resident said.
Mahlokomelang Makoala, a Lesotho citizen, said the Hankey residents also accused them of taking their jobs, land and electricity.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the community had also pelted police vehicles with stones, but no injuries or damages had been reported.
“A strong police presence remains in the area. The situation is under control but still volatile.
“The road between Hankey and Patensie is partially open,” Naidu said.
This is a developing story.
HeraldLIVE