Mayor calls for unity in light of xenophobia

Ekurhuleni’s executive mayor Clr Mondli Gungubele has called for calm and tolerance as the ongoing xenophobic attacks in KwaZulu-Natal threaten to spread to other parts of the country, including his own town.

Speaking during his visit to some of the areas where the violence was threatening to flare up, Gungubele condemned the senseless attacks on people in the Makause and Marathon informal settlements in Primrose – calling these acts of crime.

The people were attacked when a group of people tried to rob their shops last night and this morning.

They were all taken to hospital.

The community must work closely with the law enforcement agencies to put the perpetrators behind bars.

“Makause and Marathon informal settlements were the first to experience instability last night.

“However, following my visit to the two areas this morning I got the feeling that this was not xenophobia but rather crime.

“It is clear to me that this has got nothing to do with hatred between people but rather looting the shops of these African brothers and sisters,” he said.

“I also got the sense that most of the locals are not in support of the looting.

“They were lamenting the situation telling me how the foreign nationals have made their lives easier by opening shops that offer them low prices and credit deals when they did not have money.”

Ekurhuleni was the most affected area in the country by the xenophobic attacks in 2008.

It was in the area of Ramaphosa in Ekurhuleni where a man of Mozambican origin was assaulted and later set alight in broad daylight and in full view of the public.

“What is happening in the country right now is completely unnecessary.

“As a city we are determined to work hard with our communities to ensure that we put concrete plans in place to deal with any violence perpetuated against foreign nationals in the area,” said Gungubele, adding that the metro had already activated a joint operation centre to deal with the status quo.

In 2011 the city held a cleansing ceremony at the Ramaphosa informal settlement in memory of those lost during the xenophobic violence of 2008.

Other activities that have been hosted by the metro include a xenophobia summit and games against xenophobia pitting locals against foreign nationals.

“Communities must join us as government and NGOs in frustrating the efforts of those in our communities who are hell-bent in fermenting the flames of crime, hatred and intolerance,” added Gungubele.

Gungubele said that to win the struggle against xenophobia communities must learn to live “in unity instead of tolerance”.

“Unity is what must drive us.

“It teaches us to live in harmony with the acceptance that we all need each other to survive,” he said.

He went on to warn that the ongoing violence is not good for the economy of the country “because no investor would want to settle in an unstable environment”.

“At the end of the day we are threatening the future of our country and its people,” he concluded.

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