22 May 2008
Johannesburg — The governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe have begun the "voluntary repatriation" of their citizens, in the wake of ongoing xenophobic violence in South Africa that police say has claimed 42 lives, displaced more than 16,000 people and led to 400 arrests.
The violence, which has seen some foreign nationals necklaced - a throwback to a horrific practice used during the apartheid era, when suspected police informants were killed by placing a burning tyre around their necks - has spread throughout Gauteng and into other provinces since it first broke out in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra 12 days ago.
Johannesburg's mayor, Amos Masondo, has invited all foreign diplomatic missions to a meeting on 23 May, "to discuss xenophobic attitudes in Johannesburg", a spokesperson for the Mozambican consulate told IRIN.
"Plus or minus 10 buses left yesterday [21 May] and there are about 10 buses leaving today for Mozambique. We are doing our best to take our people home," the spokesperson said. About 1,200 people have been repatriated by the Mozambique government and many other Mozambique nationals were making their own way home.
The Mozambican daily newspaper, Noticias, reported that about 10,000 Mozambique nationals had fled South Africa since the violence began, but this did not include those without legal travel documents, which was thought would add thousands more to the number.
It is not just illegal immigrants that are being attacked, even those who are legally here in [South Africa] are being attacked
The consular spokesperson said the Mozambique government would provide transport for as long as there was a demand, as "it is not just illegal immigrants that are being attacked, even those who are legally here [in South Africa] are being attacked."
Chris Mapanga, of the Zimbabwean consulate in Johannesburg, said his government was "organising voluntary repatriations and the work is in progress. We are at a very advanced stage." He declined to reveal the numbers of those requesting repatriation or when the repatriations would begin, and what type of transport would be used.
"It is not like an instant lightning strike. Xenophobia starts at 1 p.m. and then the buses [for those wanting to be repatriated] leave at 1.30 p.m.," he told IRIN.
Mapanga said research indicated that there were about 800,000 to one million Zimbabweans in South Africa; other estimates have put the number of people who have fled the eight-year recession at more than three million. Annual inflation in Zimbabwe is unofficially estimated at 1,000,000 percent, with severe shortages of food, fuel and energy.
Widespread reports of violence ahead of Zimbabwe's second presidential poll on 27 June - scheduled after neither President Robert Mugabe, of the ZANU-PF party, nor opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai achieved the required 50 percent plus one vote majority - is also believed to have increased undocumented migration to South Africa.
The 29 March poll saw the ruling ZANU-PF party lose control of parliament for the first time since winning independence from Britain in 1980.
Xenophobic violence spreads
Outside the epicentre of xenophobic violence in Gauteng Province, in the last few days reports of further mayhem have come from KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Mpumalanga provinces. The government has announced that army resources would be available to police to try and end the violence.
Opposition parties in the South African parliament welcomed the decision, but criticised President Thabo Mbeki's slow response. Democratic Alliance Chief Whip Ian Davidson said in a parliamentary debate on 22 May that the government had only agreed to deploy the army after 42 people had died, when his party had made such calls after the deaths of 12 people.
Xenophobia in South Africa was expected to be discussed during the seventh Nigeria/South Africa Bi-national Commission in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Kingsley Mamabolo, head of the South African delegation to Abuja, reportedly said: "Of course, there will explanations and discussions about it [xenophobia], and the commission will have to find the best possible way to address the problem."
The News Agency of Nigeria has reported that dozens of Nigerian-owned shops have been attacked in Johannesburg, while a Nigerian-owned tavern in the Durban township of Umbilo was attacked by a mob.
A few weeks before the xenophobic violence erupted, Nigerian authorities voiced concern their nationals were being targeted by criminals after arriving at Johannesburg's international airport.
South Africa's shame
The violence has been condemned by the government, trade unions, church and community organisations, as well as individuals on local radio talk shows.
Imtiaz Sooliman, chair of Gift of the Givers, a South African humanitarian organisation, reportedly said an appeal for assistance had generated an overwhelming response, comparable to donations after the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed 220,000 people. "People are saying they are ashamed of what is happening to South Africa," he said.
People are saying they are ashamed of what is happening in South Africa
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has begun distributing 2,000 "dignity packs", containing basic sanitary and nutritional items, mats and blankets to meet the immediate needs of displaced people.
The IOM has also joined forces with Metro FM, one of South Africa's largest commercial radio stations, to launch a campaign to "educate the public about foreigners' and locals' rights and responsibilities, in a bid to forestall more attacks and to pave the way for reconciliation and integration," the IOM said in a statement.
Chief Justice Pius Langa told local media: "It is abundantly clear that if we, as South Africans, fail to take immediate and effective action to these attacks we are heading for a bleak future indeed."
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]
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I live not far from Alexander township and I have first hand experience of the brutality and the 'in your face' crimes committed on innocent South Africans in their homes by Zimbabweans and I fully support what is happening to them. When their own country, they behave like innocent sheeps in front of Mugabe and unleash untold terror and pain to South Africans once they leave their county!!!! these people do not attemt to steal from your house when you are not at home, but wait for you to get home so that they do not only steal from you, but hurt you as well. These are animals that you all are pleading for. To pprove my point, let the police fingerprint all of them now that they are at police staions and I bet you all, more that a good majority of them are wanted criminals!! and just like democracy, if the majority are crooks, the rest are crooks. we have not yet even begun to talk of Nigerians in Hillbrow and Berea, who onw streets that you as a South African are not allowed to walk in, imagine!!! Where are the police and the army then when forreigners are owning part of our city?? The political idiots who have so much to say now, have they done anything about Berea, Yeoville and Hillbrow? If authorities are reluctant or unable to do their jobs, ordinary people will rise up and do it themselves!! that is human nature!!
the tragedy is that as a former 'oppressed' human & would have thought you would have pity on the oppressed..the crime rate in SA is even higher than what it is in Nigeria & one just has to travel to Zimbabwe to see that even with the dire poverty - the banks etc do not have the security they have in SA & the crime started in SA way before all the refugees flooded into SA - the refugees are an easy scapegoat.. & how is it that the mines employ so many of their workforce from outside SA??? - they can't by law pay them less, is it possible locals don't want to do the hard work that other africans are will to do - I can just imagine Bill Cosby & oprah shaking their heads in saddnes that people cannot pull themselves up & instead blame others for their woes - pls where is your sense of humanity? I'm so sad Nelson has to see this after his amazing forgiveness...I am ashamed to be South African - these people helped you during the Apartheid years & sheltered SA' exiles...
have you considered the repercussions of your actions to your economy, reputation etc. You were to host 2010 world cup dont you see that might be in problems? Do you think people will visit south africa during those games knowing that they might be attacked because they are foreign?
Dear God, I thought I found refuge in South Africa but I was wrong. The right refuge is in Jesus Christ our saviour. I pray that you forgive South Africa and its people. They are killing foreigners and chassing weman and children out of their home because they are ignorant. You are the one who blesses a Country and give wealth to its people, because gold and silver belong to you. Please, help us as to leave together as sons and daughters of one Father. Forgive those who have follen in the hands of South African in the name of XENOPHOBIA and remember their families and comfort them in the name of your Son Jesus Christ. You are the God of poors and homeless... "The Devil is a lier"
I completely disagree with my fellow South Africans! Foreigners in South Africa are NOT the cause of the high crime rate - most of the violent crime is committed by locals. The blame must go squarely on the shoulders of Thabo Mbeki and his pathetic government for doing absolutely nothing for the last decade except make empty promises and playing the race card to make excuses when they don't deliver. No wonder poor and frustrated South Africans resort first to racist reactions when their 'leadership' is the first to use it. But it still does not excuse the barbarity of the thugs in olur country.
Mbeki learned his tricks from Mugabe. No wonder he does nothing about the Zim situation.
the crime comes from the SA locals -even with the political strife & poverty in Zimbabwe & mozambique, they are still safer countries to live in than SA,these 'riots' are partly an excuse to steal from their non-SA neighbours - Zimbabweans enjoyed a much better education then the SA people (mostly because the apartheid system tried to keep them downtrodden) so of course the zimbabweans get good jobs etc in SA - they are better educated!!!! & zimbabweans mostly have a fantastic sense of community & help each other out & the South Africans are jealous....(just like the jews & the ugandans & kenyans were of the indian traders in the 70's)- there is no sense of comunity in SA - its dog eat dog & tribal warfare has gone on there for years...sad sad black, white, pink or green - we are all human & nobody should treat another human (or animal) like that - isn't life hard enough without all this hatred? - mugabe shame on you -these people deserve better these are your people you are killing - you should be held responsible
See all comments (29).
its very frastrating to see Africans fighting fellow African for such reasons. whats going on in the world today. lack of appriciation and respeact has skipped our culture and we are behaving like wild animals. i think we have to re-visit, our history and know that we have come from a far. this should not be the one thing to separate the African people. i feel so shamed to My fellow African just chasing me away instead of welcoming me. this has really painted a bad picture about South Africa. imagine how exemplary you have become on the African Continent. its such a disgrace for sure
i think the reason for the crime rate should not be placed on foreigners its not true.
thank you