More than 250 Zambians hiding in South Africa after anti-foreigner attacks beg government to bring them home

More than 250 Zambians in South Africa are hiding indoors after violent attacks on foreigners spread across the country, and they are asking the Zambian government to bring them home before someone is killed. Families in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg and parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga say they have lost jobs, been pushed out of rented rooms and seen homes burned, and about 50 Zambian families are stranded in KwaZulu-Natal alone. They say conditions have steadily worsened since June. Michael Musonda, speaking from Durban, says the attacks target foreigners in general and that Zambian children have not been to school since June. Veronica Bwalya, in Pietermaritzburg, says she stays indoors and keeps quiet in public, because speaking another language on a phone call can expose a person to attack. Joseph Katoba, also in Durban, says nobody can say for certain that no Zambian has died, because not every death is recorded, and he says the embassy has not helped. Gift Mubita Nawa, who lives around Johannesburg, says Zambians were fired from their jobs in June and have used up the goodwill of the people who sheltered them. He says a neighbour's hand was cut off in an attack. Charity Malata, a mother of two, says she was evicted and cannot safely leave the house to buy food. The families say landlords have been threatened and given ultimatums to evict Zambian tenants, and that some who went to the Zambian diplomatic mission for help left with none. They also say South African police are stretched too thin to protect everyone. No response from the Zambian government or its mission had been made public at the time of writing. The trouble is not new. On 23 June the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a travel and security advisory for Zambians in South Africa, citing rising attacks on foreign nationals. It told them to register with the Zambia High Commission in Pretoria, carry valid identification and keep away from crowds and protests,