Barbaric acts condemned by Bay councillors

COUNCILLORS of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality have added their voices to the thousands of South Africans who have adopted a no-nonsense stance toward the spate of xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals.

At yesterday’s council meeting, they also condemned the brutal murder of Uitenhage teacher Jayde Panayiotou, who was kidnapped and shot on Tuesday. Mayor Ben Fihla urged the municipality’s safety and security department to work closely with the police and civil society to keep the neighbourhoods safe.

DA caucus leader councillor Retief Odendaal applauded political, business and religious leaders who had taken a tough stance against attacks against foreign nationals.

On Panayiotou’s murder, Odendaal said: “There’s been a public outcry from our res- idents. There must be a moral regeneration and we as council need to lead that.

“We must take across party lines.”

COPE councillor Mzwandile Hote said: “We cannot mince our words, and must say no, no and no to these barbaric acts. They cannot be supported at any stage.”

UDM councillor Mongameli Bobani said the killings had to stop.

“These xenophobic attacks have tainted South Africa

hands abroad and we hope the international community will realise it’s only a few individuals who are tainting the country,” Bobani said.

Independent councillor Andile Gqabi said while he condemned the xenophobic attacks, he believed that foreigners were robbing the country of its wealth.

“Foreigners are taking the wealth of the country to their own countries. They are robbing us of our wealth on a daily basis,” Gqabi said.