JOBURG — The City of Johannesburg’s mayor, Herman Mashaba, said he is working tirelessly to prevent an outbreak of xenophobic attacks.
Mashaba said he was concerned about the flare-up of xenophobic attacks and called on all ‘peace-loving South Africans’ to reject groupings which seek to place the blame for crime and unemployment on foreign nationals.
“There is no place for xenophobia in Johannesburg and we are working tirelessly to prevent the outbreak of any violence,” he said.
Through Metro police, an operational plan is being developed with the South African Police to respond to any xenophobic threats and attacks that may occur.
Officers and public order policing units will be deployed to Rosettenville and Alexandra on the basis of intelligence received, while other areas are also monitored.
A central provincial Joint Operations Centre, convened to pull together all policing resources, is up and running and all law enforcement agencies are represented, Mashaba added.
A Migrant Help Desk was put in place as a long-term intervention, the mayor said.
The responsibilities of the help desk are:
- To develop a service frontline that provides migrants with relevant information on available services
- To develop and conduct anti-xenophobia awareness campaigns with City staff as well as local communities
- To establish and maintain partnerships with migrant organisations to identify concerns and address service gaps
- To liaise with and lobby provincial government departments on issues relating to migrants.
“Johannesburg is a cosmopolitan city made up of people from differing socio-economic and political circumstances. There are many people who, out of desperation due to political, social and economic instability in their countries, seek a better life in Johannesburg, and indeed, South Africa as a whole,” Mashaba said.
He added that it is essential for different levels of government to work together to tackle xenophobia and that his office remains open to participation in cooperative government.
Police have arrested 42 suspects since the start of recent xenophobic attacks in Pretoria, Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Deliwe de Lange said this week.
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