Dutch people in South Africa receive advice: ‘Go to family, for example’ | Abroad

A week after the outbreak of riots and looting in parts of KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng, the situation remains explosive. The government has therefore increased the number of soldiers on their feet from 2,500 to 25,000.

However, to be on the safe side, all reserve troops have been requested to make themselves available. That means, for the first time in South Africa’s democratic history, all armed forces are on standby.

deficit

In addition to protecting people and businesses, the opposition wants the troops deployed to protect the main roads around fires so that cities like Durban can be supplied. Currently, South Africa’s largest port city is in short supply of everything from food and medicine to petrol.

The result: miles of strings of cars in front of petrol pumps, where you are allowed to fill up a maximum of 15 liters due to fuel shortages, and rows in front of supermarkets.

Meanwhile, the registered death toll in the two provinces has risen to 117. “My heart breaks to see the increasing number of bodies on the street. Our people are slaughtering each other,” said a Durban resident. She describes her day: “I have tried with all my might to get food for friends. After standing in line for four hours, I was able to buy some cans.”

Dutch people

The Dutch ambassador to South Africa, Han Peters, has advised the Dutch living in fires in a letter to stay at home and calm. “Follow the news and don’t go to places where there are large crowds or where there is unrest,” he writes. “If you do want to leave, think of family and friends who live in safe areas, for example. In large parts of South Africa, the situation is normal.”

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