Police said illegal immigrants who travel to the region in search of informal work from neighboring countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Cameroon are behind the attack. More than 120 people have been arrested since the incident. The government is facing increasing pressure to deal with illegal immigrants. It has warned about 160,000 Zimbabweans on temporary work permits that they must leave South Africa by the end of the year unless they receive official permission. The visas were issued in 2009 to Zimbabweans who were working illegally in South Africa. The move was seen as a goodwill gesture, while former president Robert Mugabe ran Zimbabwe into the ground with disastrous economic policies. The visa, which was initially granted for a five-year period, had been extended twice. The sudden U-turn is believed to be a show of force by the South African government, which wants to show action against illegal immigrants. The United Nations warned in July that the country was “on the precipice of explosive violence” due to anti-immigration rhetoric from senior government officials.
