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Cowards are using fake news to lie about a planned shutdown, says taxi body

The South African National Taxi Council released a statement on Sunday evening, dismissing claims that they were planning a "nationwide shutdown" to target and attack foreign nationals as "fake news".

This comes after a week of foreign-owned stores being looted and foreign nationals being targeted by criminal mobs. 

The council used its Twitter account to tell followers that a false statement was being circulated in Santaco’s name announcing and called for action against foreign nationals.

Santaco says the statement was written in Zulu and alleges "Amazulu" in the taxi industry will use major towns in KwaZulu-Natal as "departure points" for the planned rampage.

"(The) spreading of the fake media statements are attempts by cowards who want to keep the violence in the country ever-rising and wrongly using the taxi industry name to make it happen," said Philip Taaibosch, president of Santaco.

"We cannot allow these faceless people who want to solve their own long hatred for foreign nationals by killing and burning of property at the expense of the taxi industry."

The violence against other African nationals overshadowed the World Economic Forum gathering South Africa hosted in Cape Town, and triggered retaliatory attacks against South African businesses in Nigeria and Zambia.

On Monday, the South African Chamber of Commerce has organised a meeting between the police and business leaders to discuss the violence.


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