A Mosque in Durban, South Africa Set on Fire

Durban, MINA – A mosque in Durban, South Africa was set on fire by looters during a riot. The mosque was previously used as a base to feed members of the community in Mayville, which was hit by fires caused by unrest since Thursday.

Last week, as many as 120 huts in a nearby informal settlement were burned. Community leaders in Mayville said the local mosque, which is adjacent to shops, was completely destroyed after looters set the building on fire at 6 a.m on Monday.

AK Lockhat said people were trying to contact the police and fire department. However, neither the police nor the fire department responded to calls to extinguish the fire.

“The fire brigade refused to come. The entire mosque was sold out. One part was burned to the ground. The rest of the mosque was damaged by smoke,” Lockhat said, quoted from News24 on Tuesday.

Lockhat said he had personally pleaded with police for support, but to no avail.

Shops near the mosque, he said, were thoroughly ransacked and burned during the rioting incident sparked by sympathizers of Jacob Zuma, who called for his release from prison. Meanwhile, the nearby mosque was used to feed nearby community members, who were victims of fires in the area.

“We organized food, even for breakfast and lunch today. But we can’t go on with all that now. We feed 300 people on Saturday and Sunday, and we are supposed to feed people today,” he added. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)