Johannesburg — CIVIL rights groups criticised the police and the government yesterday for creating the impression foreigners were invading the country and for failing to manage the influx of people.
At a seminar hosted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in SA (CoRMSA) in Johannesburg yesterday, University of Pretoria sociology professor Michael Neocosmos said he doubted economic factors were the only reason for the attacks. He said if people were suffering from poverty, it would have made more sense to attack rich rather than poor people. "People are afraid to engage in politics so they resort to violence. It is not true that foreigners are here to take other people's jobs. Some are here to create jobs," he said.
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