South Africa attacks may spread to trains: Winnie Mandela

Johannesberg: Anti-foreigner violence may spread from South Africa's shantytowns to the rail system, a senior member of the ruling ANC party said on Wednesday.

Police have been unable to contain a wave of attacks on African migrants that have killed at least 24 people and rattled investors, who fear Africa's economic powerhouse is sliding toward anarchy.

Foreigners have been clubbed and burned to death, women raped and scores of shops and homes looted since the riots began on May 11 in Alexandra outside Johannesburg. Township dwellers accuse migrants of stealing jobs and fuelling violent crime.

The unrest has spread to other areas around the city and the former wife of Nelson Mandela said a plot targeting rail commuters had been uncovered by the government.

"I was informed that they are in possession of information that these perpetrators will attack trains," Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said in an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corp.

Madikizela-Mandela is a member of the African National Congress's national executive committee, a key policy-making body.

There were also reports on Wednesday that xenophobic violence had erupted in the port city of Durban. Police could not confirm that the trouble there was linked to xenophobia.

Economic fallout

The attacks have prompted thousands of Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and other foreigners to seek shelter in churches, police stations and community centres. Criminal gangs are believed to be involved in the attacks.

The European Union called on South Africa's government to end the violence. Many European newspapers have compared the unrest to that of the apartheid era when police clashed with black liberation fighters in the townships.

South Africa's currency fell sharply on Tuesday largely due to the violence. The rand was largely unchanged on Wednesday at about 7.68 to the US dollar.

Government officials are worried the crisis could damage the lucrative tourism industry and cripple the nation's bid to host the 2010 soccer World Cup. An estimated half a million visitors are expected to visit during the tournament.

The violence has also increased political instability at a time of electricity shortages, rising inflation and disaffection among the poor over President Thabo Mbeki's pro-business policies.

Mbeki has faced strong criticism, especially from ANC left wingers, for not spreading the benefits of black rule to millions of poor people. He has called for an end to the violence several times.

ANC leader Jacob Zuma, the frontrunner to take over from Mbeki in 2009, has said there is no room for xenophobia in a country that dubs itself the "Rainbow Nation".

South Africa, with a population of about 50 million, is home to an estimated 5 million immigrants. Foreigners have been lured by work in mines, farms and homes and by one of the world's most liberal immigration and refugee policies.

The biggest group - an estimated 3 million - are from Zimbabwe. They have fled economic collapse at home and the violent political standoff since disputed March 29 elections.