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NATIONAL NEWS - A delegation of senior police officials, including Deputy National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane and Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, addressed a packed conference room at the Garden Route police district office in George on national concerns surrounding xenophobic unrest in South Africa.

Several local and international media houses attended the briefing, which follows unrest in KwaNonqaba, Mossel Bay, where more than 400 people were displaced and two Mozambican nationals were killed over the weekend. 

Most of those displaced were reported to be Mozambican nationals, while at least 10 South Africans also reportedly fled the area, saying they no longer felt safe amid the violence.

Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane delivered a firm message that violence is not activism and that xenophobic violence is strongly condemned.

Watch the video as she responds to questions regarding police intelligence ahead of the Mossel Bay march and the subsequent unrest; whether there were any early warning signs that violence could erupt; and concerns around tribalism and ethnically driven violence.

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Dimpane emphasised that South Africa is guided by the Constitution and governed by the Criminal Procedure Act, clearly outlining what is acceptable under law. She said issues of ethnicity, tribalism and discrimination are rejected unequivocally and cannot be condoned by government.

A more detailed account of the media briefing will follow soon.

George Herald journalists Marguerite van Ginkel and Melissa du Plooy. Production: Cameron Squire / Group Editors 

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