Gauteng government vows to fight xenophobia
JOBURG – Following incidents of xenophobic attacks in the province, the Gauteng provincial government has vowed to have structured discussions with affected communities, and to put plans in place to address such undesirable activities.
Speaking at the Provincial Peer Review Mechanism meeting hosted by the provincial government to tackle issues of xenophobia and immigration, Roads and Transport MEC Ismail Vadi who heads the review said, “Civil society is not positioned to deal with the issue of immigration proactively. We need to manage and control the movement of people in the country.”
The meeting with civil society groups, academics and the business sector followed the killing of 14-year-old Siphiwe Mahori in Snake Park, Soweto by a Somali national on 19 January this year.
The incident sparked the looting of shops owned by foreign nationals in Soweto, Kagiso in the West Rand, Sebokeng in the Vaal, Eden Park in Ekurhuleni and Alexandra.
Vadi said it was government’s duty to protect citizens including foreign nationals who have become an integral part of the South African community. “What we have committed to do in instances [looting] such as these is to have structured discussions with affected communities, and to put plans in place to address such undesirable activities,” Vadi said.
Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane of the Department of Home Affairs said according to legislation, refugees must enjoy all the rights set up in the constitution, except the right to vote. Mkhwebane said a foreign national may be provided with a section 22 permit which is valid for six months, allowing them to work and study in the country, but they still needed to comply with trading licences of each municipality.
Vadi concluded by saying members of the review would meet in the next few weeks to put together a detailed plan of action based on the recommendations discussed at the meeting.
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