The City of Johannesburg says it wants to assure residents, especially business owners and residents operating in the inner City, that it will not allow the City to descend into chaos following the recent reported xenophobic attacks.
Mayor Parks Tau, and the City Manager Trevor Fowler, are calling upon residents to refrain from participating in these incidents and return to their daily lives.
Mayor Tau has expressed concern that the reported xenophobic attacks elsewhere in the country might spread if people’s reaction is influenced mostly by panic.
“While we will not tolerate anarchy in Joburg, it is important that we educate our people about the futility of xenophobic violence,” said Tau.
MMC for Social Development Nonceba Molwele, who is a member of Johannesburg Migration Advisory Committee (JMAC), appeals for calm and tolerance.
“While our law enforcement agencies are ready to deal with whatever situation that might arise, we, as a City, would like to appeal to residents of Joburg to remain calm.
“We believe that attacking people on the basis of where they come from will not get us anywhere and does not resolve any problems. We should, instead, be focusing our energies on creating employment and looking after the vulnerable in our City,” said Molwele.
