Politicians get flak over anti-foreigner attitudes

As three nongovernmental organisations over the weekend made a collective call for an end to attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, a leading expert on violence on Monday warned about the danger and negative impact of xenophobic sentiment on society.

With anti-foreign national emotions having been heightened by the recent visit by Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema to three restaurants at Midrand’s Mall of Africa – to confirm whether owners used discriminatory policies, favouring the employment of foreigners – Institute for Security Studies head of the justice and violence prevention programme Gareth Newham lambasted politicians for fuelling an anti-immigrant posture.

“When politicians and public figures use their positions to stoke anti-foreign national sentiments, or give an impression that foreign nationals are the cause of our problems – unemployment or crime – such is very dangerous,” said Newham.

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“We have seen wide-scale violent attacks in 2008, when 69 people were killed, with foreign nationals murdered and their shops looted.

“Any leader would be doing what they can to ensure that the facts about foreign nationals in the country are known, which is that they do not cause these problems but, in many instances, they are the solution.”

South Africa, he added, did not have sufficient skills “to solve all our problems”.

“If we are working with people from other countries to improve our society, we are more likely to make a better society.

“When you have leaders who are mainly in politics for power, money and their own interests, then they start acting in such ways as to divert people’s attention from their failings and try to blame vulnerable groups like foreign nationals,” said Newham.

In making a collective call to South Africans to embrace foreign nationals, the African Diaspora Forum, Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and the Ansarul Ummah Til Islam, said: “The calls made by several political parties and community activists to forcefully remove migrants from their homes; and to count the number of foreign nationals employed in South African restaurants, is profoundly disturbing.

“This year marks seven years since Mozambican tuck shop owner Emmanuel Sithole was stabbed to death in Alexandra.

“Despite this, we continue to see xenophobic sentiment actively being fuelled, with little to no sanction for those behind the inflammatory vitriol and the recurring attacks.

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“The flagrant disregard for the human rights of migrants, the rule of law and the constitution, is something that requires immediate intervention by law enforcement, the government and leaders in all sectors of society – Chapter 9 institutions and the South African Human Rights Commission.”

Added the statement: “We note the plight, particularly of young people, who queue tirelessly in meandering lines to
submit CVs for job opportunities with no success.

“This shallow view overlooks the systemic issues of corruption and capture that dismantled our economy.

“It ignores the ongoing failure of the state at all levels to provide hope and economic opportunity for the majority of South Africans.

“It also overlooks the reports of corruption and the inefficiencies of the home affairs department in processing migrant, asylum and refugee documents.”