immigration - South Africa

Mbeki promises crackdown on xenophobic attacks

Tuesday 20 May 2008

South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Monday that police would put an end to "anarchy" after 22 foreigners, mostly Zimbabwean immigrants, were murdered in the Johannesburg area. (Story: N. Rushworth)

Tuesday 20 May 2008

By Julien Peyron/ FRANCE 24

South African President Thabo Mbeki has called on the police to end "anarchy" in Johannesburg after a wave of racist violence. Xenophobic attacks in the country's economic capital have left at least 22 dead in the past week.

Mobs of residents from Johannesburg's poor suburbs launched attacks on immigrant workers, most of them Zimbabwean nationals. Men were beaten up, women raped and homes looted in the city's shantytowns.

Pictures of a mob burning a man to death were printed in newspapers worldwide and shocked international readers, who are not used to that type of news from Africa's richest country.

"Tsunami of migrants"

Anne Disez, a journalist with Africa No1 radio who is just back from South Africa, told FRANCE 24 of an "atmosphere of terror" there. The poorest inhabitants, hit by high inflation and unemployment, have turned their anger on immigrants.

"Poor, black South Africans are attacking poor, black Zimbabweans because they think immigration is out of control," Dissez said.

It is estimated that up to 3 million Zimbabweans have moved to South Africa to escape the economic and political crisis in their country. They have become scapegoats for South Africa's poor, who accuse them of stealing their jobs and getting involved in crime.

Dissez said that a South African newspaper ran a headline about a so-called "tsunami of migrants" flooding the country just a few days ago.

Economic and political tensions

The political situation has been tense in South Africa since Jacob Zuma was elected leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party on December 18, 2007. President Thabo Mbeki's authority was undermined by the victory of his challenger. "South Africa now has two centres of power," Dissez said, adding that political instability was among the causes of on-going violence.

Zuma and Mbeki have also been competing on the international scene. While the current president has been cautions never to criticise Zimbabwe's ruler Robert Mugabe, Jacob Zuma has been questioning such implicit support.

The divide between South Africa's two most powerful men has widened over the appalling situation across the Zimbabwean border, where unemployment tops 80% and inflation nears 165,000% per year.

South Africa, too, is going through a rough economic patch. An energy crisis has erupted in the country, where 90% of electricity is still derived from coal.

"The crisis has been looming for 30 years, but no government ever made it into a priority. We know where this has led to", said Dissez.

Despite the past week's tragic events, she thinks that the tensions should ease quickly. "This is going to calm down, the riots were confined to some neighbourhoods in Johannesburg and has not spread to other cities", she said.

A police spokesman said that nearly 300 arrests were made and that a call for peace by former president Nelson Mandela was heard.

Yet the recent scenes of violence looked like a warning signal for the host country to the next football World Cup.

immigration - South Africa

[3] reactions :

20/05/2008 23:34:07 Alert a moderator

Xenophobia In SAfrica

By mokes gama -

Just over twenty years ago, South Africans were living like rats, without permanent and clear
residences, ostensibly due to the apartheid policies and harshness associated with it which were at its highest level. Because of being discriminated in their own country by the racist policies, many were forced to leave South Africa and settle in foreign African countries like Zimbabwe and Tanzania. In Tanzania, the government of Mwl. Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania set up a whole region known as "Morogoro" to host the fleeing South Africans. How benevolent and considerate this individual was! Let alone accepting them as refugees, but setting aside a region which acted as a home-away from-home, living concurrently with the indigineous Tanzanians. Today, Zimbabweans are experiencing ephemeral political and economic strife which compels them to seek asylum in the Southern part of Africa. Instead of helping their brethren, they are killing them with fires, machettes and guns. Africans against Africans! For what reasons? Taking over jobs, houses and local women. Wither Africa?
20/05/2008 20:33:23 Alert a moderator

This is totally bad

By Anonyme -

I think Mbeki need to act as soon as possible before the situation worsens. if that happens then South Africa should loose the opportunity to host the world cup in 2010.The root cause of this problem is his quiet diplomasy on Mugabe amoth other things.He should take the blame himself for failing to handle the situation long before this situation occurs.To fellow South Africans,lets not forget the role that Zimbabweans played during the Apatheid era.they helped us a lot and it's time for us to rtain the favour.
20/05/2008 10:36:16 Alert a moderator

Xenophobia is not the root

By Leonard -

As a Zimbabwean living in Harare, I feel that the South African govenment must get to the root of the problem. The problem of worsening poverty in the townships, slow development and increasing unemployment (even in the midst of the so called 2010 boom) must be seen to be the governments top priority. I acknowledge that the government has been building houses and working on infrastructure, but the Mbeki government has always been perceived by many, as one that panders to the needs of the middle class. Whether this true or not is irelevant if this perception is in the minds of the poor they will react in the same way to the "competitors" for their jobs, their housing and the better life that they want so badly.