During Anti-Racism Week, South Africans are encouraged to take on racism by learning about it, talking about it, speaking out against it and acting to stop it.
A campaign driven by the Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada Foundations is aimed at creating awareness about racism and how it affects individuals and society.
“We’re encouraging South Africans to have the conversation about race and never to allow racist sentiments to persist in our homes, schools, universities and boardrooms or braai. We need a zero tolerance approach to stop it,” said Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation in a statement.
Although racism and xenophobia are distinct phenomena, they are closely interrelated.
Xenophobia can be referred to the dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
Here are some facts about Xenophobia in South Africa
- At least 67 people died in what was identified as xenophobic attacks between 2000 and 2008.
- Five people were killed and hundreds were forced to flee their homes during one of South Africa’s worst xenophobic attacks in 2015.
- Among those five people who were killed, was a 14-year-old boy who was shot during the looting.
- President Jacob Zuma is allegedly reluctant to take action against perpetrators.
- Foreign nationals have resorted to sleeping at police stations around the country, out of fear of being killed.
Also see: Enter the Youth Essay Competition Against Racism
