Xenophobia: A plan of action from Gigaba

Minister Malusi Gigaba tried to calm the South African public after the latest threat of xenophobia with an action plan from government.

In a media briefing on xenophobic violence this morning in Parliament, Gigaba outlined how the government had started tackling the xenophobic threats that have erupted.

The first point of concern was the march organised by the Mamelodi Concerned Residents group set to take place on Friday in Pretoria.

“I have met with the protest organisers and appealed to them to express themselves responsibly,” the minister said.

This was after concerns were raised that the group’s march was xenephobic in nature. However, the group said that it was protesting against drug-related crimes and that it just happened to be foreigners who were involved in these crimes.

With regard to the actual xenophobic violence that occurred in Rosettenville and Pretoria last week, Gigaba said that “we have directed all security officials to be visible in communities and to objectively deal with criminality regardless of whether it is committed by a South African or a foreign national.”

Gigaba listed the main causes for the widespread xenophobic incidents that occured in 2008 and 2015:

• Poor relations between local residents and key officials that deal with informal settlements;

• Corrupt and indiffence of leaders;

• Police unable to deal with the attacks; and

• Capacity problems of those dealing with promotion of justice and access to remedy.

In 2015, attacks in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng were sparked by labour disputes over the employment of foreigners at Kwa-Gina store in Isiphingo.

Gigaba also gave reasons why they believed the recent attacks this year in Rosettenville and Pretoria West had started:

• Lack of access for employment opportunities;

• Competition for jobs between communty members; and

• Alleged criminal activities involving foreign nationals, which include drug peddling, prostitution, and hijacking of houses among others.

To address these issues the minister said the government would call for visible and effective policing because failure to respond would be irresponsible, as it would fuel tensions among communities.

The minister also addressed the contributions businesses had on exacerbating tensions between locals and foreigners and urged businesses to comply with the South African labour policy to employ a minimum of 60% of South Africans.

He said: “Business incentivises irregular migration and those contributing to questionable labour practises must also be held to account.”

Gigaba said they encouraged dialogue between the communities and authorities. He also pleaded with stakeholders to respect the laws of the country.

“We call for compliance with the constitution and other laws of the Republic and deportation of those who are undocumented.”

	Phelokazi Mbude Journalist City Press p: 0117139001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: phelokazi.mbude@citypress.co.za
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