Rand on fire
19 May 2008, 15:56
By Daily News Reporters and Sapa
A warning that the ongoing xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa has the potential of sparking a serious civil war, has been sounded by foreign affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Speaking at the African National Congress Women's League conference in Durban at the weekend, Dlamini-Zuma said South Africans needed to stop attacks on foreigners to prevent a full scale civil war.
"What is happening is very dangerous because South Africa is a diverse country. We have more Swazis in South Africa than in Swaziland, many more Batswana here than in Botswana and more Basotho in South Africa than in Lesotho. So it is clear that the attacks can spark a civil war if they are allowed to continue," said Dlamini-Zuma.
The police reported this morning that three people were killed and 26 shacks set alight in Tembisa, Johannesburg.
This was as a result of alleged xenophobic attacks, spreading across informal settlements in Johannesburg, the report said.
Murdered
Earlier it was reported at least 12 people had been murdered this weekend after the xenophobic attacks that had occurred in Gauteng, police said yesterday.
Police spokesman Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said the "sporadic violence" that has rocked the city had claimed eleven lives in the Eastern Rand and one in Alexandra. Mariemuthoo said the violence spread to Hillbrow, Jeppe, Cleveland and central Johannesburg, over the weekend. He said 200 people had been arrested for various offences ranging from rape, robbery and public violence.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross said they have on record at least 3 000 immigrants across Gauteng who are now destitute. Red Cross spokesman Freedom Ngubeni said most of the foreigners were "scared and terrified".
Ngubeni said there was a need for assistance in terms of food, clothing and blankets.
The escalating violent attacks on foreigners have been criticised by cabinet, which believes that they are being fuelled by criminal elements who were using the opportunity to rape and loot.
Addressing the media after the three-day International Investment Council meeting on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast yesterday, President Thabo Mbeki said members of the council had asked many questions about the current xenophobic attacks. The council comprises many of the world's leading economic opinion makers.
"I told them that a panel will be appointed to look into the matter. The panel will enable us to know what lies behind these attacks. We need to know what or who sparked them.
"We need to establish the causes. The communities should not stand aside. They need to say that the attacks are unacceptable. We should all condemn it (the violence)," said Mbeki.
ANC president Jacob Zuma has strongly condemned the singing of his trademark song Umshini Wami by people venting xenophobic attacks on foreigners, saying this created an impression that the ANC was in support of the attacks.
Zuma was addressing an ANC imbizo at the University of Pretoria's Vista Campus in Mamelodi yesterday.
He said the ANC, which has criticised the xenophobic attacks, "cannot be associated with such senseless acts".
In her address to the league Dlamini-Zuma added that South Africa is what it is today because of people from other countries.
She said that the attacks were an embarrassment, adding that South Africa had fought apartheid with assistance from other countries.
"We studied in their universities and we were also given all kinds of assistance. With our country having fought apartheid, we cannot be seen to be promoting discrimination," she said.
The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) yesterday, said it was deeply perturbed at the outbreak of xenophobic violence in various parts of the country.
"The fact that the violence is against political and economic refugees renders them double victims," Sanef said in a statement.
It said the scenes witnessed in the past week were contrary to South Africa's ethos of non-racialism, tolerance and respect for human rights. "We call on all South Africans to help stop the violence."
A warning that the ongoing xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa has the potential of sparking a serious civil war, has been sounded by foreign affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Speaking at the African National Congress Women's League conference in Durban at the weekend, Dlamini-Zuma said South Africans needed to stop attacks on foreigners to prevent a full scale civil war.
"What is happening is very dangerous because South Africa is a diverse country. We have more Swazis in South Africa than in Swaziland, many more Batswana here than in Botswana and more Basotho in South Africa than in Lesotho. So it is clear that the attacks can spark a civil war if they are allowed to continue," said Dlamini-Zuma.
The police reported this morning that three people were killed and 26 shacks set alight in Tembisa, Johannesburg.
This was as a result of alleged xenophobic attacks, spreading across informal settlements in Johannesburg, the report said.
Murdered
Earlier it was reported at least 12 people had been murdered this weekend after the xenophobic attacks that had occurred in Gauteng, police said yesterday.
Police spokesman Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said the "sporadic violence" that has rocked the city had claimed eleven lives in the Eastern Rand and one in Alexandra. Mariemuthoo said the violence spread to Hillbrow, Jeppe, Cleveland and central Johannesburg, over the weekend. He said 200 people had been arrested for various offences ranging from rape, robbery and public violence.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross said they have on record at least 3 000 immigrants across Gauteng who are now destitute. Red Cross spokesman Freedom Ngubeni said most of the foreigners were "scared and terrified".
Ngubeni said there was a need for assistance in terms of food, clothing and blankets.
The escalating violent attacks on foreigners have been criticised by cabinet, which believes that they are being fuelled by criminal elements who were using the opportunity to rape and loot.
Addressing the media after the three-day International Investment Council meeting on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast yesterday, President Thabo Mbeki said members of the council had asked many questions about the current xenophobic attacks. The council comprises many of the world's leading economic opinion makers.
"I told them that a panel will be appointed to look into the matter. The panel will enable us to know what lies behind these attacks. We need to know what or who sparked them.
"We need to establish the causes. The communities should not stand aside. They need to say that the attacks are unacceptable. We should all condemn it (the violence)," said Mbeki.
ANC president Jacob Zuma has strongly condemned the singing of his trademark song Umshini Wami by people venting xenophobic attacks on foreigners, saying this created an impression that the ANC was in support of the attacks.
Zuma was addressing an ANC imbizo at the University of Pretoria's Vista Campus in Mamelodi yesterday.
He said the ANC, which has criticised the xenophobic attacks, "cannot be associated with such senseless acts".
In her address to the league Dlamini-Zuma added that South Africa is what it is today because of people from other countries.
She said that the attacks were an embarrassment, adding that South Africa had fought apartheid with assistance from other countries.
"We studied in their universities and we were also given all kinds of assistance. With our country having fought apartheid, we cannot be seen to be promoting discrimination," she said.
The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) yesterday, said it was deeply perturbed at the outbreak of xenophobic violence in various parts of the country.
"The fact that the violence is against political and economic refugees renders them double victims," Sanef said in a statement.
It said the scenes witnessed in the past week were contrary to South Africa's ethos of non-racialism, tolerance and respect for human rights. "We call on all South Africans to help stop the violence."
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Daily News on May 19, 2008
