5 September 2008
(Page 4 of 4)
The South African Police Service was overwhelmed by the xenophobic crisis, resulting in Thabo Mbeki calling in the army to help control the violence. Emergency responses were not well coordinated or managed during the crisis, and many NGOs had to step in to bridge the gap.
However, having said that, the xenophobic violence was largely unanticipated by the emergency services (including the police force), whereas as a lot of thought, planning and resources have been poured into the preparations of security for the WNew Era Publications Corporation Copyright - All rights reservedorld Cup - extra police officers are being trained and the private security companies have been drawn in to reinforce the state forces.
On a positive note, the latest crisis has alerted South Africa to the fact that xenophobia is a real problem. The horrific nature of the violence has sensitised many stakeholders to the severity of the problem of xenophobia.
The issue has received increased media coverage, continuously providing platforms for individuals to voice concerns and presenting an opportunity for collective engagement between government, civil society and communities.
It has also highlighted the need for South Africa as a country to educate its population on the issues of migrants and migration in good time for the influx of visitors and opportunity-seekers to South Africa for the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
To end, I would like to emphasise that the xenophobic violence in South Africa has regional implications, not only for the World Cup, but also for the stability of the region as a whole, especially bearing in mind the continual and extensive movement of people within the southern African region.
South Africa and South Africans have tended to look inward since the crisis in May, scouring the political and domestic landscape for root causes and solutions.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Era. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
