Zero tolerance on
GOVERNMENT officials have been talking tough.
They warned they would not tolerate criminal activity masqueraded as elements of xenophobia.
More so, they warned political parties to refrain from using certain protests across the country as part of their election campaigns.
Yesterday, International Relations and Co-operation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, alongside her counterparts Police Minister Bheki Cele and Home Affairs Minister Siyabonga Cwele, met ambassadors representing several African countries to discuss the spate of recent incidents and threats of intimidation involving foreigners.
The meeting, which was reportedly tense, served as a follow-up to one held earlier this week and comes at a time where the government was urged to play an active role in halting the frequent xenophobic attacks, which began almost 11 years ago.
Sisulu said the meetings came after a recent incident in Greenwood Park, Durban, and surrounding areas, where four South Africans were allegedly killed for prompting locals to raid homes of foreigners.
“Right now, we are dealing with the criminal elements, part of what we are seeing play out and also emphasising government’s position. We would like them to come in legally when it is possible and they are given all the assurance that they will be secure.
“We would like to make sure that those who don’t come in here legally, truly qualify as refugees because they are truly fleeing from a war,” she said.
Sisulu said the meeting was not an exciting experience but they asked the diplomatic corps not to take matters personally, and be defensive, because they wanted them to be educated about the statistics they had.
She said contrary to popular belief, South Africans were not xenophobic, adding that neither were government’s policies on foreigners.
She said the government had in the meantime put together a task team involving all departments to deal with pressing issues.
Cele said matters raised in the meeting with the diplomatic corps were generic and in the past there have been meetings with officials from Mozambique and a further commitment to meet with Zambia.
“I’m very much happy that there will be better understanding going forward and better communication to make sure we handle things better.
“The debate of criminality or xenophobia will continue,” he said
Cwele, on the other hand, lamented some of the discrepancies which he said hampered efforts by Home Affairs to employ effective