SAfrica to confront Xenophobic actions
At a glance
* Foreign Ministry rejects violence against foreigners
* Plans to reintegrate refugees back into the community
SAfrica: South African Deputy Interior Minister Malaudzi
Gigaba said on Friday that his Government will not tolerate violent
actions against foreign citizens and denied that xenophobia was behind
forced expulsions in De Doorns.
In remarks to journalists, the South African official explained that
events registered on Tuesday in De Doorns, in Western Cape province,
were caused by local farmers who violated the Basic Conditions of
Employment Act. Nearly 1,000 South African temporary farm workers
attacked around 3,000 Zimbabwean immigrants on November 15 accusing them
of getting their jobs.
The South Africans threw stones at the foreigners, sacked their
houses and forced some of them to get off the trucks carrying them to
work.
No one was hurt, according to De Doorns Mayor Charles Ntsomi.
Gigaba said his Ministry plans to revise and re-launch an
anti-xenophobia campaign, taking into account that the Southern African
Development Community is going through an immigration-driven dynamic.
He added that South Africa receives immigrants of different
categories, including those who come for economic reasons, asylum
seekers, undocumented and tourists, which he attributed to the visa
exemption agreement signed by the regional bloc.
At the moment, talks continue between local authorities, community
leaders and representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees in order to reintegrate the refugees back into the community as
soon as possible, according, the De Doorns mayor said.
Pretoria, Prensa Latina |
