SWAZIS LAY COMPLAINT TO SA GOVT OVER XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS

MBABANE – Swazis working in South Africa with their foreign counterparts have lodged a complaint to the South African Government following what is believed to have been xenophobic attacks.

The Swazis are part of the African Diaspora Forum (ADF), which is concerned by what it regards as a lack of an effective response by the South African Government to the issue of xenophobic attacks.
They have gone as far as writing a letter to President Jacob Zuma, Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba and Minister of Police Nkosinathi Nhleko.

This weekend the organisation pleaded for more accountability and for government to recognise attacks on foreign nationals as xenophobia and not to dismiss these as merely criminal.
Among other nationals, Swazis in SA have fallen victim to xenophobic attacks. Some have resorted to leaving that country and returning to Swaziland while some risk their lives and continue working under threatening conditions.
“Today, we are deeply worried about the current cause of violence across the country and the lack of effective response from the government to deal with xenophobia. Many lives and millions of Rands have been lost during the looting and thousands of displacements since 2008.

Moreover, the reputation of South Africa as a united and rainbow nation is now questionable,” wrote the ADF.
Between 2008-2014, ADF registered dozens of attacks on foreign nationals from various parts of South Africa.

The ADF said although the police were deployed and were working tirelessly to restore peace, there are no accountability structures for perpetrators. They appealed to the South African Government to assist in building structures that could restore cohesion and peace in the respective communities.

They said despite the escalation of violence over the past six years causing numerous deaths, the government denied that there was xenophobia in South Africa, always questioning the nature of this violence and attributing it to ‘crime’, instead of recognising it for what it is – xenophobic violence.
“We are still to hear top members of government condemning the current xenophobic violence. This attitude, from our perspective, has condoned the violence and allowed it to reach institutional heights, making things even more difficult for foreigners living in South Africa and for South Africans wishing for social peace and integration.

“For example, we and several other organisations assisting migrants, have reported high levels of corruption and inhumane treatment in government structures like Refugee Reception Offices and hospitals where migrants are treated like animals, but our concerns have received little attention,” stated the ADF.
The ADF further blamed the stringent legislation in that country which they said makes it almost impossible for migrants to legally conduct business and reside in the country. They said even migrants who want to comply are discouraged to do so by non-realistic regulations and impractical institutions.

They told the president that this detracts the police services from fighting crime, and pushes them instead to tracking immigrants who have been rendered illegal by the system and legislation.

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