Big business helps government prepare for national shutdown and social unrest

South African businesses will support the police with drones and helicopters next week when the anti-immigrant groups’ deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country expires.

Business Against Crime South Africa has activated extensive public-private support measures to assist the police ahead of the expected anti-foreigner mobilisation on June 30, it said in a statement on Friday.

The support is being coordinated through E2-Plus, BACSA’s flagship public-private crime-fighting program, it said.

E2-Plus member companies have committed to support the police with helicopters, piloted drones, armed response armoured vehicles and access to 7,000 CCTV cameras, among other measures, according to BACSA. 

“The scale of the mobilisation reflects the seriousness with which both the state and the private sector are approaching the situation,” BACSA Chief Executive Officer Anton du Plessis said. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this week said the government won’t allow anyone to destabilise the country.

At least three people have been killed in xenophobic attacks, and thousands have been displaced ahead of next week’s deadline. 

More than 4,000 migrants who have fled their homes in fear of being targeted have taken refuge in an abandoned building in a suburb of Pietermaritzburg in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

The gathering of foreign nationals is among several seen in KwaZulu-Natal and other areas over recent weeks.

A convoy of 18 buses arrived at the Pietermaritzburg site on Friday to repatriate Malawians to the city of Blantyre, even as more people continued to arrive.

A number of those present are in the country legitimately, but were concerned about being caught up in the violence. 

Messages circulating on community social media groups called for volunteers to help patrol areas where there was a danger of xenophobic attacks.