South Africa xenophobia fears mount Home Affairs intensifies raids on companies
THE Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa has urged Zimbabweans to be on high alert and avoid moving at night as xenophobic violence continues to escalate in the neighbouring country.
Reports yesterday indicate violent attacks on foreigners have spread to Jeppestown area in Johannesburg.
Zimbabwe’s Consular-General Batiraishe Henry Mukonoweshuro said violence broke out yesterday at Jeppestown where foreign owned shops were targeted by angry mobs.
“Violence broke out at Jeppestown this morning (yesterday) and although the mobs were mainly targeting shops belonging to Somalis, Pakistanis and Ethiopians, we however, urge our people to be on high alert. For now Zimbabweans are safe because they don’t own spaza shops but we would like to warn them against travelling or moving SOUTH Africa’s Home Affairs Department has started raiding companies employing illegal immigrants around Gauteng Province in a move aimed at diffusing xenophobia related violence targeted against mostly Africans in the neighbouring country.
In April 2015, the department launched a similar operation dubbed ‘Fiela’ when confronted with a similar situation.
The department is reported to have intensified the raids last week succumbing to calls by the instigators of the mayhem claiming that immigrants contribute to escalating social economic imbalances south of the Limpopo River.
The attacks, which are driven mainly by afro-phobia, have been more pronounced in Pretoria where many Africans in that country are living in a state of fear.
Home Affairs spokesperson Mr Thabo Mokgola said yesterday there was nothing sinister about the inspections they were conducting as they were in line with the law.
He said organisations or businesses in that country were bound by the law to ensure that at least 60 percent of the employees should be local citizens.
“There is nothing sinister about the inspections and the enforcement of the law.
“People should be documented and where there are violations, we won’t hesitate to enforce the law by weeding out the culprits,” Mr Mokgola said.
In the last few weeks, tensions have been increasing around Gauteng where immigrants were attacked and some had their shops looted forcing President Jacob Zuma and his Home Affairs Minister Mr Malusi Gigaba to intervene.
Mr Gigaba met 35 African ambassadors and High Commissioners in Johannesburg last Friday where he reaffirmed his government’s zero tolerance to xenophobia related violence against fellow Africans.
President Zuma also met his Ministers of justice, crime prevention and security last Wednesday where he set up an interministerial committee on migration to tackle around at night to avoid danger,” he said.
Mr Mukonoweshuro said Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) as well as the South African Police Service (Saps) have been deployed to the volatile areas.
“Our people must also always move around with their documents and they must desist from any criminal or untoward behaviour. In the event of threats they must report to the police, our embassy in Pretoria or consulates in Johannesburg and Cape Town,” he said.
Mr Mukonoweshuro urged Zimbabweans to desist from reacting to social media messages before verifying them or retaliating when attacked.
The violent attacks against foreigners began more than two weeks ago after residents burnt down the houses of suspected drug lords and brothel owners in Rosettenville and Pretoria.
Newly-elected Unisa chancellor and former South African president Thabo Mbeki added his voice on Monday to those condemning the spate of attacks on immigrants in Pretoria and Johannesburg. He warned that none of the country’s problems would be solved by attacking immigrants.
Spokesperson for Gauteng Department of Public Safety the new wave of violence in the neighbouring country. Advocate Gabriel Shumba of the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum condemned the raids. “The raids apparently started last week. This is unfortunate in that it coincides with the advent of xenophobia attacks,” he said. “While the law is clear about issues of legal status, let’s remember that invariably, those with valid papers have been frustrated when trying to renew them”. Adv Shumba said the behaviour of some law enforcement agencies deliberately or unwittingly fuels xenophobia either in acts or omissions. He added that it was politically wrong to start or intensify searches for documentation when the situation was still volatile. “Instead, all of us should be working towards prevention, healing, early warning and combating recurrence among other issues. “There should be disjuncture between rhetoric and practice. At present we need the fire of afro-phobia doused,” said Adv Shumba.
Mr Michael Sun said JMPD and Saps were working together to contain xenophobic attacks or related crime.
“We have metro police officers on the ground feeding information back to the nerve centre, ready to deploy officers 24 hours a day. As part of the Gauteng Provincial Joint Operation Centre (JOC) we are also working with Saps and other law enforcement agencies to develop strategies and action plans to deal with xenophobic situations,” he said.
The South African government has set up an interministerial committee on migration to tackle the new wave of xenophobic violence, which has largely been blamed on Johannesburg Mayor Mr Herman Mashaba.
Mr Mashaba came under fire for referring to foreigners as criminals and inciting violence when he told journalists last year in December that illegal immigrants got to South Africa criminally and “should be treated as such.”
The latest attacks evoked ugly memories of the deadly xenophobic attacks of 2015 which displaced hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans and other African immigrants living in South Africa, following inflammatory remarks by Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, who had called for the expulsion of foreigners. — @mashnets