It is sheer and utter racism – minister

XENOPHOBIA is racism. Home Affairs Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan didn’t mince her words about xenophobia when she addressed a small crowd at the Artscape Theatre yesterday where a public lecture on xenophobia was held.

Chohan said: “It is racism. I don’t think we should shy away from calling it racism. Because I don’t know how I can differentiate by looking at a person whether they are South African or not.

“We must call it what it is. It is sheer and utter racism.”

Over the past two months, incidents of xenophobic attacks have been reported in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, leaving at least seven people dead.

Chohan was speaking at a lecture on xenophobia, arranged by the Skilled Foreign Nationals in South Africa group.

Other guest speakers included Premier Helen Zille, Cape Chamber of Commerce president Janine Myburgh, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation executive director Fanie du Toit and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Cape Town office head Patrick Kawuma.

“We are an angry society. I think we are a very insular society and we regard anything different from ourselves, including other South Africans, as problems,” Chohan said.

She said social cohesion and community based dispute resolution were essential to fight the scourge of xenophobia. “It is vital that we start seeing ourselves as potential migrants. If we did, then the world opens up to us. When we are in those countries, how do we expected to be treated?” she asked.

She said migrants often came to countries with a strong work ethic, creating competition for jobs and escalating tensions within communities.

Kawuma said their office often received reports of refugees and asylum seekers being attacked, beaten, robbed and injured, and sometimes killed. He said there were more than 13 million refugees in the world. There were about 65 000 recognised refugees and 249 000 asylum-seekers in South Africa. In contrast, Kawuma said Ethiopia hosted 590 000 refugees, more than any other African country. There were 560 000 refugees in Kenya.

“We must not lose sight of the humanity of these people,” Kawuma said.

“Many professional refugees bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experiences that can benefit the economy. It is sad to find qualified professionals like nurses, maths and science teachers working as car guards.”

Du Toit denounced raids and acts of violence carried out after the spike in xenophobic attacks.

“We need to be the solution we would like to see. I think this is an important initiative,” he said of the lecture.

He said community acceptance, competent and compassionate leadership and support from businesses in social cohesion programmes could prevent xenophobia.