Hundreds of foreigners take shelter as anti-migrant mobs roam streets in South Africa

CAPE TOWN: Hundreds of foreign nationals sought refuge in community halls on South Africa’s south coast after local mobs allegedly went from house to house telling them to leave the country, according to AFP.

Most of those sheltering were from Malawi and Mozambique. Many told AFP they had fled their homes over the weekend and spent nights in the mountains and bush before reaching community centres in small towns.

One of them, Mozambican national Thomas Vincent Baloyi, described what he said the mobs told residents in Gansbaai, about 110 kilometres southeast of Cape Town.

"They said 'you are a foreigner, you don't belong in South Africa, so you must go"

The displaced people were gathered in centres in the area as fears spread among migrant communities for their safety.