Forum established to re-intergrate foreign business owners
Local community members want to see expelled foreigners return and re-establish their business operations in the townships.
Following the destructive aftermath of the recent xenophobic frenzy that swept through parts of Kathorus and some areas in Gauteng, civic society groups and other community role players have gathered to establish a forum to undo the damage, restore peace and rebuild broken social bridges between local communities and black non-South Africans and foreign Indo-Pak business operators.
The objective of the restorative forum is to normalise tempers among the warring factions.
Kathorus MAIL has reliably been informed by high-placed sources within the SAPS about extensive behind-the-scene discussions currently being conducted at the Vosloorus SAPS HQ between the delegation of the newly established forum, which has been tasked to facilitate an agreeable peace and reconciliation deal between local groups that will see foreigners welcomed back into the townships.
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The high-profile forum is said to be made up of respected leading members of the clergy, the local business fraternity, community leaders and elders, municipal ward councillors and local civic organisations.
Meanwhile, in Ward 64 in Katlehong, where the violence and the looting were described by police as having been intense, almost 95 per cent of foreign business owners have been welcomed back by the community.
“Hardly a week after the looting and destruction mayhem, there was a huge outcry from residents who were complaining that the regular shopping centres are situated too far away,” explained a member of the forum.
According to some of the members of the community in Ward 64, the xenophobic attacks on foreigner business owners in their communities has left many of them desperate and broke.
“They claim looting and destroying spazas and calling for foreigners to be expelled from their areas has cost many of them dearly,” explained police who have been monitoring the situation.
Residents complain that it now costs them more money to purchase groceries from nearby shopping complexes. They claim they now have to take a taxi in order to be able to get to the local shopping centre to buy a single item that turns out to be worth more than the taxi fare.
“They suddenly realise that it costs them more to survive without a local, foreign-owned spaza shop in their area.”
Vosloorus SAPS head Brig Themba Denge told Kathorus MAIL a church services at which he addressed congregants about xenophobia and the efforts currently being put in place to eradicate it and reunite communities was one of the first steps to drive the mandate of the new forum to unite local communities with non-South Africans.
According to Denge, the bulk of the work to integrate the two communities has already been done by the local SAPS and the forum. He confirmed that no casualties were reported in Kathorus during the recent outbreak.
“We are grateful for that and we believe it is important that we should now speed up the reconciliation and integration process to avoid similar incidents in the future.”
However, Denge assured the Kathorus community that none of the planned ideas will be implemented without the support of the community.
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“That is why we shall await the input of the community through their meetings with their respective ward councillors and church leaders, whether to allow foreigners to return or not,” explained Denge.
United Congregational Church of Southern African (UCCSA)
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