Makhura cautions on attitude to foreigners

GAUTENG premier David Makhura on Saturday cautioned political leaders against making “reckless remarks” which generally characterise foreign nationals as criminals.

“Africans from all over the continent, those who have chosen our province as their home, we want you to contribute positively to the growth and development of Gauteng province. If you are a criminal, we must deal with you, whether you are a South African or an African from any other country,” Makhura told an Africa Month celebrations event in Joburg.

“Criminals must be dealt with [but] we must not criminalise a nationality. A criminal is a criminal, whether it is a Nigerian or a South African and that criminal belongs in jail. I want to warn those that keep criminalising nationalities, sometimes it is the mayors who condemn a whole nation. If there is a drug dealer who is a Nigerian, not [all] Nigerians are drug dealers. We must deal with the drug dealer.”

Makhura warned political leaders to avoid generalising. He called for concerted efforts by all who live in South Africa to fight violent and drug-related crime.

“If we have a South African who is a rapist you cannot then say all South Africans are rapists. We must deal with that rapist and put that rapist in jail. We work together with the African Diaspora Forum. Let us make sure that in our communities there are no drugs. God’s people, drugs are killing our children. Drugs are finishing our communities. Let’s deal with those manufacturing and distributing drugs. Let’s work together and ensure that in every community we deal with crime and drugs,” he said.

Makhura also urged foreign nationals running businesses in Gauteng to employ South Africans. “Today we went to many shops in Yeoville. Let us make sure that these businesses comply with the by-laws. Let’s make sure they employ a lot of our people. [They] can help us deal with unemployment. That is one of the discussions I want to have with small businesses in our province,” he said.

Yesterday, Makhura led a government and business delegation to Nigeria and Ghana to woo investors there. “We are going to sell the fact that Gauteng is open for business,” he said.

Earlier on Saturday, he led scores of participants in the Afrocentric Street Jamboree Parade, marking the close of the 2017 Gauteng Africa Week celebrations.

The event was organised through a partnership between the Gauteng city region and the African Diaspora Forum.

Cultural groups from countries including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia took part in the festivities. – ANA