The South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Lulama Xingwana has described the xenophobic attacks as completely unacceptable.
Madam Xingwana urged South Africans not to attack foreigners over job opportunities because there are opportunities for all.
Five have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in one of South Africa’s worst outbreaks of xenophobic violence in years.
Most of the recent unrest occurred in and around the coastal city of Durban.
The South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Lulama Xingwana speaking in interview with Citi News’ Kojo Agyeman hinted that her government has taken serious steps to get the situation under control.
Miss Lulama Xingwana said, “the Southern African Government has taken various steps to stop this xenophobic attacks, and they are completely unacceptable.There is a perception that people are coming to take their job but I do not think that this excuse and I do not think this a fact. Because whatever the people are doing there, nobody is denied the opportunity to start their own business or to look for a job for themselves. So we are expecting with the intervention of President Zuma that this violence must stop and his appointment of a ministerial task team, particularly ministers is the security sector, including, minister of Police, Minister of home affairs and minister of state security.”
“He has deployed those ministers to go and intervene and also our government has deployed more police to patrol in affected areas to protect foreign National wherever they can be found,” she said.
Job opportunities
Locals of South Africa are accusing foreigners of taking over their jobs and businesses.
The High Commissioner advised that South Africans should not use that as an excuse to attack any foreign nationals.
She added that: “I do not think is because of economic activities. People are encouraged work through the government. The department of Agriculture, the department of trade and Industry, the department of Small Businesses, are all there to assist any South African who wants to establish a business or also there opportunities that are being opened like mentorship programs for young people and special projects for women to support and ensure economic empowerment for people. But of course in most parts of our countries most of our people are unemployed, many people are poor and it takes time to develop and create jobs; however what we are saying as government is that this cannot be an excuse to promote violence and take the law into their own hands.”
Damaging International relations
The High Commissioner touched on how her country will repair the international relations with countries whose citizens where attacked
“Well I know that the South African Minister of Home affairs has met with Ambassadors of these countries and they have discussed various options to address the problem and I am sure that out there was open discussion and deliberations to intervene to protect the citizens and some citizen who want s to go back to their home country will be supported. But as I said the police force have been strengthened to provide security for them. I will urge them to report any suspicious incident or any attack to the police.”
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By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana