Johannesburg, 22 July-(ANA)-A wave of protests have erupted in townships across South Africa over shoddy housing and public services, adding to pressure on President Jacob Zuma to deliver on promises to fight poverty.
Police fired rubber bullets Tuesday to break up about 200 protesters in Thokoza township outside Johannesburg, where they stoned police cars in anger at their dire housing conditions.
That followed a riot one week earlier in Diepsloot, also near Johannesburg, where two police cars were destroyed, buildings were burned and passing cars stoned in protest at moves to demolish shacks in order to build sewage lines.
A protest in eastern Mpumalanga province on Sunday took on anti-immigrant colours as shops owned by foreigners were looted and burned.
That sparked anxious memories of the xenophobic attacks that swept the country one year ago, when 60 people died and tens of thousands of foreigners fled townships for refugee camps.
Protests over poor public services have soared this year, according to Municipal IQ, which monitors municipal services.
Poor South Africans have staged 24 major protests so far this year, compared to 27 in all of last year, the group said in a statement.(ANA)
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