President Cyril Ramaphisa has denounced the mushrooming of anti-foreigner sentiment in parts of South Africa saying it echoes apartheid’s pasts.

He was referring to the latest acts of xenophobia in Gauteng. A mob in Diepsloot demanded that migrants produce their passports. A Zimbabwean national was killed. Locals had taken to the streets over the escalating crime and lack of policing as well as foreigners who are illegal in the country.

President Ramaphosa concedes that crime is a serious problem and communities are justifiably tired of living in fear of criminals. But he notes that crime, not migrants, is the common enemy that people must work to defeat. He has sought to assure citizens that measures are being taken to beef up the police service. President Ramaphosa points to the recruitment of 12,000 additional cops as well as the re-establishing of community policing forums or CPF.