Publication Details Reference Xenophobia News & Analysis Archive Volume 1 (2010) Xenophobia News & Analysis Archive Volume 1. various : -. Summary Run! run! run! They are coming to kill you!' ebogang Seale 20 July 2010 It was described as a "freak incident of pure criminality", misread as xenophobia, but the attacks were enough to send a Malawian packing for good. Sunday night's attacks at the Kya Sand informal settlement near Honeydew, which saw several spaza shops and shacks looted, also struck fear in a Zimbabwean woman, who hastily left for Zimbabwe to renew her passport. Balancing their luggage on their heads, Steven Lazarus and the woman, who preferred to be called by her first name, Mickey, didn't look back as they trudged out of the settlement on Monday. Behind them, police officers were busy questioning residents for clues that could lead to the arrest of the instigators, but Lazarus and Mickey were not pacified. "I am leaving because they have started doing the same nonsense they did two years ago," said Lazarus, who has been staying in the area for two years. "I am not sure what's going to happen tonight so I have to go. I am scared," he said. He looked fearful, but Mickey was a diplomatic about the reasons for leaving. "Life is precious. Who is not afraid to die? I have to go because I need to sort out my passport," she said. Inside the densely populated settlement, police officers were moving into the narrow alleys, questioning residents and some of the victims. One of the victims, Charles Mokoena, said he had been asleep at about 9.30pm when he was awakened by screams from his brother, telling him to flee. "He kept calling my name, saying 'Run! run! run! They are coming to kill you!" said Mokoena, who is a South African. When he returned to his shack, he found that his electrical appliances had been taken. "This is not xenophobia. If you chase people away, why must you rob them?" he asked. Some residents claimed that they knew the instigators, whose motives were "jealousy" and their actions "robbery". There was a heavy police presence in the area on Monday as fears mounted that the violence could flare up again. According to some officers at the scene, different methods were now being used to prevent and quell any outbreak of xenophobia-related violence. This involved a direct interaction with residents in affected areas, identifying instigators rather than "mere shooting with rubber bullets and stun grenades". This, they said, was part of the lessons learnt from the police's strategies to prevent and combat riots during the World Cup. Police spokesperson Brigadier Govindsamy Mariemuthoo was quick to dismiss reports that the attacks were xenophobic. "There were tensions, clashes and a stand-off, but it's not correct to say it was xenophobic. There were also South Africans who were attacked. Whatever happened were criminal acts, and we are investigating," he said. Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean government has set up temporary shelters for hundreds of its citizens fleeing South Africa. The head of the government's civil protection, Madzudzo Pawadyira, said three marquees had been erected, equipped with amenities like blankets and dishes. The Beitbridge border has particularly been flooded with hundreds of Zimbabweans leaving South Africa because of rumours of xenophobic attacks after the World Cup. Pawadyira said the same measures had been put in place in Plumtree to cater for Zimbabweans returning through that border gate with Botswana. "Indeed, there has been an increase of volume at Beitbridge, but this is not confined to Zimbabweans. It includes other nationals from Zambia and Malawi." This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on July 20, 2010 Police confirm 'tensions' in Kya Sands Sapa 20 July 2010 Gauteng police could not confirm reports on Tuesday morning that foreign nationals had been attacked at Kya Sands, north of Johannesburg, saying only there were "tensions" in the township. Soldiers patrol streets Diepsloot township, north of Johannesburg. Photograph by: SIMPHIWE NKWALI "From yesterday [Monday], there was some stand-off with regards to tensions there," said Brigadier Govindsamy Mariemuthoo. "We have a heavy police presence there," he added. Several radio stations reported on Tuesday that four foreign nationals, of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and one South African had been attacked in overnight clashes. A Talk Radio 702 journalist reported seeing two men escorted from the informal settlement with deep cuts to their heads while a woman said she was kicked in the chest. Another man was bleeding from a wound to the head. "I was just sitting at my home and a group of people just came and they asked me where I come from and before I could answer they started hitting me," the man told the radio station. But Mariemuthoo said on Tuesday morning that he was still gathering details of what had exactly happened and ended the phone call when asked if foreign nationals were injured. He could only confirm "allegations of looting". "There were people claiming they were looted and they were asked to open cases." Mariemuthoo said he would have more information later in the day. The Zimbabwean government said on Monday it had been forced to set up temporary shelters for Zimbabweans leaving South Africa following threats of attacks on foreign nationals. A wave of xenophobic mob attacks hit South Africa two years ago. More than 60 people were killed and thousands displaced. Migrants attacked in Johannesburg, five hurt Reuters, AFP 20 July 2010 South African residents have attacked migrants from African countries in a Johannesburg township, injuring at least five people and increasing concerns of a wave of xenophobia after the Soccer World Cup. Local media said four of those injured at Kya Sands were from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The fifth was a South African who said his attackers refused to believe he was a local. Tensions have long been building between South Africans and millions of foreign migrants they accuse of taking jobs and homes, but open animosity appeared to be put on hold during the World Cup as South Africa showed its best face to the world. A spate of attacks on foreign workers in 2008 killed 62 people and damaged investor confidence. Another wave could wreck the positive image that Africa's biggest economy was able to portray during the soccer tournament. Running battles erupted late on Monday at Kya Sands after a robbery inside the township sparked anger between locals and foreigners, Eye Witness News website reported. It took police several hours to quell the unrest. The webiste said two men had deep cuts to their heads. One said he had been attacked with an axe. A woman was carried out on her husband's back, saying she had failed to outrun a mob and had been kicked in the chest. Foreign migrants are estimated to make up more than 10% of South Africa's population of about 49-million. Many are Zimbabweans who fled economic collapse at home. Tents at the border Meanwhile, a Zimbabwe official said on Monday that tents had been erected at Beitbridge -- the main border crossing to South Africa -- to house people fleeing the country. "We have put three big tents in Beitbridge, 10 000 blankets, 20 boxes of laundry soap and 1 000 buckets," said Madzudzo Pawadyira, head of the government's civil protection unit. "Indeed, there has been an increase of volume at Beitbridge, but this is not only confined to Zimbabweans, but this also includes other nationals from Zambia and Malawi," Pawadyira said. "Most of the people who were in South Africa are sending their children back home. Then you have those who are coming back because their usefulness in South Africa is no longer required. - Reuters, AFP Heavy police presence amid xenophobic clashes Gill Gifford 20 July 2010 Xenophobic clashes broke out in Kya Sands late on Monday night and during the early hours of Tuesday morning as police have moved in and are maintaining a heavy, watchful presence. "We don't have all the details yet, and I can only confirm that there definitely were some attacks. "We're still sketchy on exactly how many and we're busy investigating the motives," said Brigadier Govindsamy Mariemuthoo, police spokesman for the province. "This kind of thing starts up late at night and then quietens down. It seems everything is calm but tense in the area this morning." Clashes broke out in the informal settlement at about 10.45pm on Monday, possibly sparked by a robbery deep inside the settlement in northern Johannesburg. At least five people were wounded on Monday night - four of them foreigners and one a South African whose screams that he was not a foreigner were not heeded by the mob who attacked him and left him with a massive gash on the back of his head. Eyewitness News reporter Alex Eliseev said running battles took place throughout the night until calm eventually prevailed from about 1am. He said a heavy police presence, a patrolling nyala and an overhead helicopter did much to ensure that there were no more violent outbreaks. Two injured men were pulled out of the area by paramedics after they sustained deep cuts to their heads. One of them described having been attacked with an axe. A woman and her partner tried to outrun an angry mob of about 20 South Africans. She fell and was kicked as she lay on the ground before being wrapped in a blanket and carried to safety by her partner. She was taken to hospital for treatment. The South African man who was injured told how an angry mob had asked him where he was from and then attacked him before he could respond. He was also taken to hospital with a deep head wound. Mariemuthoo has maintained the consistent police line that the attacks were not necessarily motivated by xenophobia and that a criminal motive was also under investigation. Local residents were said to be jealous of the success of informal businesses established by foreigners and were believed to be behind much of the looting that had taken place. Police confirm 'tensions' in Kya Sands Sapa 20 July 2010 Gauteng police could not confirm reports on Tuesday morning that foreign nationals had been attacked at Kya Sands, north of Johannesburg, saying only there were "tensions" in the township. "From yesterday [Monday], there was some stand-off with regards to tensions there," said Brigadier Govindsamy Mariemuthoo. "We have a heavy police presence there," he added. Several radio stations reported on Tuesday that four foreign nationals, of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and one South African had been attacked in overnight clashes. A Talk Radio 702 journalist reported seeing two men escorted from the informal settlement with deep cuts to their heads while a woman said she was kicked in the chest. Another man was bleeding from a wound to the head. "I was just sitting at my home and a group of people just came and they asked me where I come from and before I could answer they started hitting me," the man told the radio station. But Mariemuthoo said on Tuesday morning that he was still gathering details of what had exactly happened and ended the phone call when asked if foreign nationals were injured. He could only confirm "allegations of looting". "There were people claiming they were looted and they were asked to open cases." Mariemuthoo said he would have more information later in the day. The Zimbabwean government said on Monday it had been forced to set up temporary shelters for Zimbabweans leaving South Africa following threats of attacks on foreign nationals. A wave of xenophobic mob attacks hit South Africa two years ago. More than 60 people were killed and thousands displaced. Zim sets up tents for nationals fleeing SA AFP, Sapa HARARE, ZIMBABWE 19 July 2010 Zimbabwe has set up temporary shelters for scores of its nationals leaving South Africa following threats of attacks on foreigners, an official said on Monday. "We have put three big tents in Beitbridge, 10 000 blankets, 20 boxes of laundry soap and 1 000 buckets," said Madzudzo Pawadyira, head of the government's civil protection unit. Beitbridge is the main border crossing to South Africa. "The same measures have also been put in place in Plumtree to cater for those returning through the Plumtree border" with Botswana, he added. Scores of Zimbabweans working and living in South Africa are returning home after the Socer World Cup, with rumours of xenophobic violence swirling through poor neighbourhoods, he said. "Indeed, there has been an increase of volume at Beitbridge, but this is not only confined to Zimbabweans, but this also includes other nationals from Zambia and Malawi," Pawadyira said. "Most of the people who were in South Africa are sending their children back home. Then you have those who are coming back because their usefulness in South Africa is no longer required. "We have put up the contingency plans in partnership with United Nations agencies such as International Organisation for Migration, other non-governmental organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and World Vision." He sought to allay fears of a repeat of the 2008 xenophobic attacks that left 62 dead and thousands without homes when mobs of South Africans turned on foreign nationals they accused of taking scarce jobs. "We have been assured by the South African authorities that they will stem out out these attacks on foreigners and this is quite encouraging," Pawadyira said. Somalian shot dead at Nyanga shop A 19-year-old Somalian shop assistant was shot in the face and died in Nyanga on Monday morning, Western Cape police said. Captain Ntomboxolo Sitshitshi said the young man had been confronted by two people who demanded he open the security gate to the tuckshop he worked at in Vlei Sweet Home Farms in the settlement outside Cape Town. "While he was searching for the key the suspects fired a shot at him through the gate, fatally wounding him in the face." The two then ran away. Sitshitshi said the Somalian owner of the shop was not hurt. Sitshitshi said it appeared the two just intended to rob the shop and the incident was not being treated as a case of xenophobia. "Not at all, it was just a criminal element," she said. - AFP, Sapa Dust off the welcome mat for fellow Africans:We must get to the root of the pressures which fuel xenophobia in this country or the consequences could be dire FAITH KA-MANZI The Mercury Eye on Civil Society column 20 July 2010 South Africa got rave reviews for hospitality to soccer tourists. But foreigners at the receiving end were mostly from the West. If you came here from across the Limpopo or Orange rivers, you were probably not treated so well. You may even have been called "kwerekwere". In 2008 xenophobia claimed the lives of more than 60 people, with several hundred thousand displaced. A new 100-page report about how Durban civil society reacted, with 500 pages of national reports, can be found on the UKZN website: http:// www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs. That good work was but a bandage. The disease has returned: South Africans are again abusing our fellow Africans. In recent days, attacks occurred from Gauteng's Ekurhuleni to Khayelitsha in the Cape and Dunoon to Bottlebrush settlement in Chatsworth to Walmer in Port Elizabeth, where there were two deaths. How do we stop it? First, politicians must end their denialism. On July 1, ANC national chairman Baleka Mbethe said: "The reported xenophobic attack after the World Cup does not make any sense. These reports are irrational and have no basis whatsoever." On Friday, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa described Western Cape xenophobia as "so-called" - implying it did not happen. Police General Bheki Cele is also a denialist, claiming: "There are a few criminal acts perpetuated by young children tasked to loot the shops of business owners' competitors." As for immigrants on the run, he said: "Those fleeing this so-called xenophobic violence are seasonal workers who are leaving one province for another as well as those returning home across our borders after watching a successful World Cup." Abducted Could these out-of-touch officials either resign or at least offer an apology, so as to reverse the damage done in the minds of an unprepared police force and anyone else in society who believed them? Mthethwa and Cele must know their own force is riddled with corrupt xenophobes. Last weekend the Centre for Civil Society's Anti-Xenophobia Project filed a complaint when we learned that local Zimbabwean refugees were being abducted and shaken down for bribes. On Friday morning, police officers (whose licence plate number was recorded) rounded up Zimbabweans at the corner of Louis and Albert (Ingcuce) Streets in central Durban. According to one refugee, willing to testify in court, the police said: "The World Cup is over. If you don't have a permit go back to Zimbabwe." This man and two others were captured at 11am and driven north on the N2 freeway for some distance. "The police said: 'Make a plan, make a plan.' So I gave them R30, to cover my friend and myself. The third man gave them R10. We walked all the way back to town, arriving at 2pm," said one of those who were abducted. Durban police commissioner Bala Naidoo promised he would investigate. But this experience, all too common, makes us question whether our police are adequately prepared, psychologically, to provide places of safety in Durban when attacks happen. To their credit, a formidable police presence was important as a deterrent to xenophobia in Bottlebrush and Mariannhill recently. But government must do more. We need to see the municipality providing places of safety and emergency contributions, instead of leaving this to churches and civil society like in 2008. We also must get to the root causes of the problem, to factors causing desperationimmigration, and to the crazy anger and pressure our countrymen feel. Africa's colonisation created artificial national borders in 1885. When we rebelled, our greatest Pan Africanist leaders, including Samora Machel, Thomas Sankara, Herbert Chitepo, Patrice Lumumba and Kwame Nkrumah, were assassinated, often with Western fingerprints on the weapons. Dictators like Mobutu Sese Seko in the Congo and Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe grabbed the spoils, making deals with the South African government during apartheid in Mobutu's case, and post-apartheid in Mugabe's. Joburg mining corporates like Anglo Gold and African Rainbow Minerals take advantage of the mayhem synonymous with these regimes. The result: a flood of refugees, including skilled professionals, democrats and activists denied civil rights and economic justice. That leads to another source of tension: competition for work. Because of our government's pro-Western macroeconomic policies, unemployment has reached extreme levels, with a million jobs lost over the last year. And misappropriation of monies needed for development includes the still unexplained escalation of R1.3 billion for Moses Mabhida Stadium, paid for in part by raiding Durban's reserves. Frustrations Not far away are the Kennedy Road shacks. The municipality denied shackdwellers formal rights to build housing and refused to install electricity. So fires continue, and 500 shacks were lost during the weekend before the semi-final World Cup game. In addition to jobs and housing, another crisis for ordinary people is the soaring municipal services bill. While we should be ashamed of our working-class and poor people when they commit xenophobic acts, our ruling class has made such a mess of everything, except World Cup parties, that pent-up frustrations are bound to rise. The question is whether those without power can redirect their energies, and those with power can avoid xenophobia-denialism and address the root causes. How do we use our anger constructively, to eliminate corruption, misappropriation of state funds, cronyism, inhumane economic policies, environmental destruction, labour broking, non-delivery of services, and commercialisation of basic necessities? In turn, those in power should decolonise and emancipate their minds from thinking that free-market economic policies will work here any better than in Greece or the United States. If xenophobia continues, even at a low-intensity level, this scourge will have very negative repercussions. Our economic, arts and cultural, sporting and intellectual exchanges with the rest of the world will be stained. Bad vibes between our citizens and the rest of the continent will spread and the hospitality we receive on the continent will cease. And the Olympic Games bid committee deciding on a host city for 2020 will see what we have been hiding away the last month as dirty laundry. href="http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5562016">http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5562016 Faith ka-Manzi is a community scholar at the UKZN Centre for Civil Society. We Zulus are going to beat you up Thabiso Thakali 17 July 2010 Moses ka Moyo has lived in Hillbrow for the past 11 years - working tirelessly as a community activist trying to bring change in the lives of average people, foreign and local. His mission, with community workers, has been to create a sense of a real life in a place where few people would have wanted to live 10 years ago. Never before has the Zimbabwean-born Ka Moyo felt as uncertain, or so in danger of his life, as he did last week. Along with at least 400 other immigrants living in a block of flats in Hillbrow, he was one of the recipients of a door-to-door leaflet blitz. The message was stark. Zimbabweans were urged to be careful because they were going to be "wiped out". The letters read: "Zimbabweans we don't like you. You must go back to your country. You took everything that belongs to us, our jobs and our women... We Zulus are going to beat you up after the World Cup." Although he was tempted to write off the faceless threats as crude, empty intimidation, Ka Moyo said that, for the first time ever, the message in the letter had stabbed straight through to his heart. He became unsure and afraid. "I have a family... children and a wife," he said. "Receiving threats like this will have an impact on them. When the xenophobic outbreak happened the last time there was no warning. It gets to you as a person, even if you might want to dismiss it as scaremongering." This week the 33-year-old, who also chairs the Hillbrow community policing forum, and residents of his building were out on the streets, taking the fight back to their faceless foes. They embarked on a journey of their own, delivering pamphlets and messages from one building to another urging both locals and foreigners living the densely populated Hillbrow to report acts of xenophobia to the police. They distributed flyers pleading for tolerance, preaching peace and providing the contact details of police officers, especially station commanders, who could be called in the event of an outbreak of violence. They went into churches, businesses, flats, pubs and restaurants calling for people to speak out against attacks on foreigners. "We have urged those who have security to ensure that their gates are always locked and that their closed-circuit television cameras are working at all times to pick up any suspicious movements," he said, walking into the dark alley of an abandoned building where hundreds of foreigners had found succour. "The greatest threat is probably to the vulnerable like these who live in a building that has neither water supply nor electricity. But today we have to be prepared because we were warned. "We have developed a number of counter-xenophobic programmes, including campaigns where we encourage people to get to know one another in the neighbourhood." Normal resident meeting agendas have been amended to feature a new item - the need to forge relationships among locals and foreigners to fight injustices and disputes together. "There is no doubt that in some of these meetings, whatever people's grievances or disputes, there is a tendency by some criminal elements to use the genuine frustrations of people to fuel xenophobic tensions," Ka Moyo said. "Nothing can be left to chance now, because the cost will be a human life." In Joubert Park, Sydney Radebe, a street patroller, and his colleagues were just as busy. They were on high alert as they discussed how to react to any outbreak of xenophobia. Their mission, like Ka Moyo's, was to unite the community, locals and foreigners, so that it could speak with a single voice. "If there is a threat to anyone in the streets we want everybody to know who to contact and where to go," Radebe said. "Xenophobia is no different from crime; it is perpetuated by those who show little respect for human life. "I joined the street patrols because I wanted to encourage people to take charge of their own neighbourhood. I want to see peace and stability reign where I live. I am a community worker." He said although things had appeared to be calm amid reports of foreigners being attacked and their businesses looted in other parts of the country, it would be foolish to believe the battle was won. "Here in Hillbrow and Joubert Park we never supported this idea of chasing away foreigners or blaming them for our problems," Radebe said. "We stood up in 2008 when the xenophobic attacks were spreading like wild fire and this time we have risen up again beforehand by telling our community to reject this. "We have begun a series of meetings with residents in our areas where we are giving out telephone numbers to reach us in an emergency." In Yeoville, the familiar litany of complaints against foreigners was being passionately rolled out: they commit crimes; they hold jobs locals deserve; they steal ID books from locals; and they fraudulently marry South Africans without their knowledge. Busisiwe Mthimkhulu, a Yeoville resident married to a Cameroonian, said that as a Christian she did not believe in killing or attacking people in their homes. But, she said, something had to be done about the unwanted and bad immigrants who were "destroying the country". "There are bad people among them," she said: "A South African may take your cellphone, but he won't kill you. A foreigner will take your phone and kill you." Beyond that, she said, immigrants were also too easy to exploit. "Business people hire foreigners, not because they work hard, but because they do the job for less money," she said. "A South African demands his rights and will go on strike. Foreigners are afraid." Mthimkhulu said that while many locals did not hate foreigners, they despised their actions, especially criminal ones. For Ka Moyo, though, no amount of xenophobic threats will deter him from his bid to unite the people who live in his neighbourhood to fight for a better life with access to water, electricity and decent housing. "There is no way I'm going to leave Hillbrow now after 11 years of living here," he said. This article was originally published on page 11 of The Star on July 17, 2010 Agent provocateurs' behind attacks: Malema Esther Lewis Staff Reporter 19 July 2010 ANC Youth League president Julius Malema says people who chased foreigners out of Mbekweni near Paarl last week should be ashamed of themselves. But neither Malema nor Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula believe that tension in the area is a result of xenophobia. Instead, they blame "agent provocateurs" who "enjoy violence among blacks". On Sunday the duo, joined by Drakenstein mayor Charmaine Manuel, visited 121 foreigners living at the Antoniesvlei camping site after fleeing their homes amid fears of an outbreak of xenophobic violence on the night that the World Cup ended. Malema and Mbalula condemned the attacks. "You hosted us when the boers were chasing... and killing us. You opened your homes and said we are all Africans. "If any ANC people were involved in chasing you away... they don't belong in the ANC," Malema told the foreigners. He said the "artificial borders" separating African countries were imposed on people by colonial powers, and only people who did not know their history would chase other Africans away. Speaking about locals' attitudes, Malema said people should stop blaming others for unemployment. He said the "agent provocateurs" involved in inciting the recent violence would be exposed. "They enjoy violence among blacks. They enjoy us killing each other. They can't sleep when we have peace." Mbalula claimed that criminals were hiding behind a concept they did not understand - xenophobia - and that the definition of this word needed to be debated. He asked why white foreigners had not been affected in the Western Cape if it was xenophobia. He also challenged the notion that foreigners were taking jobs from locals. "What are these jobs the people have taken from you? Working in a madam's kitchen, saying: 'Yes, madam, no, baas.' Earning peanuts and being treated like dogs? Is that the jobs? Those are not real jobs," Mbalula said. If the attacks were related to jobs, why were they not directed at university professors and other professionals, he asked. Manuel said a task team made up of municipal officials, NGOs, the police and religious leaders were working on a reintegration plan. In most communities, people had said they would have no problem welcoming foreigners back, but young people in two areas were opposed to foreigners returning. Mbalula, Malema and Manuel spent time in Paarl East on Sunday in honour of Nelson Mandela's 92nd birthday, at a lunch for the residents of the Rusthof Old Age Home, which was damaged in a fire in May. The three handed over blankets and gas heaters. This article was originally published on page 5 of The Cape Argus on July 19, 2010 Institutionalised xenophobia? KARABO KEEPILE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - 19 July 2010 Reports of escalating violence against foreign nationals living in South Africa have again come to the fore. However non-South Africans face a more insidious form of prejudice inherent in the system on a day-to-day basis. Has xenophobia become institutionalised? We look at various areas where foreigners are systemically disadvantaged. The lucky 13 digits Try opening a store account, obtaining credit bureau reports or using certain websites without a South African Identity Document. You're not likely to get very far. "You have institutions like banks and to some extent hospitals that are just insensitive to the variety of people likely to be their clients," Tara Polzer, senior researcher at Wits University's Forced Migration Studies Programme told the Mail & Guardian. Either policy or computer systems dictate that certain institutions can only accept 13 number digits --excluding foreign nationals without an ID. Home loans Peter* is a qualified chartered accountant from Zimbabwe who has worked in South Africa for the past three years. He is currently employed by the government of South Africa as a senior manager and said it was a nightmare to get a mortgage loan with a civil servant's pay slip. "When I finally got it, I am inherently classified as a higher risk profile -- hence I pay more interest than a South African with the same credit record as mine and the same job and risk profile." Car Loans As a Zimbabwean he hasn't had much more luck with car financing either. Peter said he and his wife have been trying to get a car loan for the past three years and not succeeded -- despite their perfect credit records. "All the big four banks have told us to bring a South African driver's licence. We both have international driver's licences which are accepted by all insurance companies -- what a contradiction." He tried converting to a South African licence but the traffic department only makes the service available to permanent residents -- not those with work permits. Given that one can ordinarily only apply for a permanent residence permit after six years of living in South Africa, a foreigner can effectively only get a car loan after six years of staying in the country. Internet services Almost all internet-linked services in South Africa require an ID. "My wife could not apply for an overdraft facility over the internet because she had to put in a South African ID number, so she had to visit the branch personally," said Peter. Even Primedia's Eyewitness news sms breaking alert required a South African ID number. The one exception was a bitter one -- the South African Revenue Service allows tax returns to be submitted electronically without a South African ID. Cellphone contracts and work permits While foreign nationals are allowed to take out a cellphone contract, those whom the M&G spoke to said it was often quite difficult, as one had to convince those helping at the store that this was actually possible. Business Day Journalist, Wilson Johwa, had to resort to getting a cellphone contract in his girlfriend's name. South African work permit He said the main challenge that arose when making the transition from his home country to South Africa was navigating the bureaucracy and getting a work permit. "The difficulty with the work permit was with collecting the documents." Apart from his passport, he needed: The advert he responded to A letter from his employer motivating why he was chosen A list of the names of the people who applied for the same position and didn't make it A security clearance from his home country and other countries he had lived in the previous five years Johwa said this often proves difficult as it requires an employer who is cooperative and willing to do those things on behalf of a foreigner. International students Marcel*, an international BSC student at Wits University said the greatest challenge facing foreign students was having to pay for a full years tuition upfront at the beginning of the year. As a student from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) he said he was required to pay a smaller fee in comparison to other students who are not from the Sadc region. If a Kenyan student for example wanted to study medicine at Wits they would be required to pay R138 000 -- and the amount goes up every year. "If you are a son of an average man in South Africa and you have to pay R40 000 upfront, it's quite a lot. This is even worse if you come from a middle-class family from another African country because the Rand is relatively strong." Finding accommodation like a flat, he said, was another difficulty. "You have to produce documents to show how much revenue you earn but because I am on a student permit I have to use documents that belong to someone else who lives here and has a job." Michael Barre, an international student from Gabon, said he had often found himself in a similar predicament. "I've been looking for a job since December last year, but every time I have interviews with an employer, they ask me if I have a work permit. When I ask the employer for the letter that will allow me to get a work permit they refuse." Foreign national drivers According to the South African Services website a foreign driver's licence or international driver's permit can only exchanged for a South African licence if the applicant is a permanent resident. Barre said he carried a large file of documents when driving in South Africa to ward off the constant hassles from traffic cops. To get into the traffic system as a foreign national, he said he needed to present his drivers licence, obtained from his home country, a traffic register number his passport and a study permit. When he gets pulled over by traffic cops he now also presents a letter from his embassy proving that his Gabonese driver's licence is valid. "I always showed my traffic register number and my driver's licence only but there was this traffic guy who complained that I needed a letter from the embassy, so I carry that too." Berre said he was not sure if that was required by South African law or whether the traffic officer he met on that particular day wanted a bribe. Opening Bank Accounts Non-South Africans the M&G spoke to complained that some banks did not want to open bank accounts for them because they did not have an ID. While South Africa's big four banks open bank accounts for foreign nationals others, like Capitec Bank, insisted on a South African ID. Jennifer*, who is also from Zimbabwe, works as an analyst in a South African bank, and has been in the country for six years. In May she was told by Capitec Bank, of an advisory issued to them by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) stating that foreigners could only open bank accounts if they had permanent residency, with the only exception being mineworkers. According to Capitec, as they are not an authorised dealer in foreign exchange, they are not permitted to open bank accounts for non-residents. The ban extends to foreign nationals with a valid passport and temporary residence permit or temporary work or quota permit. Jennifer said these tight and confusing credit policies had forced her to invest overseas. "I am now investing in property overseas simply because the banks here will only fund me with a 50% deposit, despite a six year flawless credit history, and an overseas bank will fund me with a smaller deposit." She said these polices put in place by companies and legislators needed to be rethought. "[They] need to think out of the box and develop policies that allow people that work here to spend and invest in South Africa. A South African ID shouldn't be the be-all and end-all of everything". Civil society sets up warning system for xenophobia LIONEL FAULL | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - 15 July 2010 Civil society organisations are mobilising to ensure there is no repeat of the large-scale xenophobic violence which scarred South Africa in 2008. The flurry of activity by the organisations this week contradicted police spokesperson Zweli Mnisi's assurances that reports of attacks on foreigners in parts of the Western Cape and Gauteng this week were not necessarily xenophobic. Mnisi told the Mail & Guardian that attacks on foreign nationals were "just [acts of] criminality". He added that "today it's called xenophobia, tomorrow it could be called racism or sexism". The Humanitarian Assistance Network of South Africa (HANSA) met on Wednesday to finalise the coordination of civil society's response in the event of concerted attacks on foreign nationals. HANSA was established after the 2008 xenophobic violence to coordinate future humanitarian assistance efforts by civil society organisations and plans to launch an "anti-xenophobic action" (AXA) hotline on July 16. The national toll-free hotline is to be staffed by multilingual foreign nationals, and would be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to HANSA spokesperson Warren Viljoen. However, Viljoen was reluctant to release the 0800 number to the public before all operational matters had been finalised. Early-warning system Viljoen said that the AXA hotline would act as an early-warning system. "Where possible, information from callers will be verified by our ground support staff, before we forward information to police at a national and regional level, as well as relevant humanitarian and civil society organisations on the ground." Six staff members and four vehicles are available in Gauteng to verify reports of xenophobia, but the unit might be split to provide capacity in the Western Cape. "We intend to have a turn-around time of between two- and six hours from when we receive a call, verify it, to when we forward it to police and civil society organisations," Viljoen said. The hotline and ground support initiative was funded by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Meanwhile, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) also convened a meeting with eight legal organisations on Wednesday, including the Legal Resources Centre, Legal Aid SA and Probono.org, to plan the immediate roll-out of legal services to foreign nationals in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh, head of the LHR's refugee and migrant rights programme, told the Mail & Guardian that the meeting had finalised a roster of legal personnel to be deployed at short notice. Legal personnel would be available to assist foreign nationals to open cases of harassment and intimidation with the police, and to monitor the progress of cases through the judicial system. LHR was also equipped to provide foreign nationals with advice on asylum and immigration law, and has offered its services to the ustice department. Ramjathan-Keogh also revealed that the protection working group (PWG), a collaboration between United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations and civil society, had been working on a comprehensive contingency plan over the past 18 months. "In the event of large-scale human displacement, the plan can be activated at a moment's notice," she said. Contigency plan Oxfam country director for South Africa, Innocent Nkata, confirmed that a multi-organisational contingency plan was in place. "Our hope is that any xenophobic violence can be contained, but in the event of an escalation, we are equipped to support the public health needs of up to 10 000 displaced people," Nkata said. While Oxfam was focussed on the provision of basic sanitation, other organisations are primed to contribute in their areas of expertise. Nkata said that civil society has learned from its shortcomings before, during and after the xenophobic attacks of 2008. "There was limited coordination by civil society organisations amongst themselves, and between themselves and government. But through networks such as HANSA and the PWG, we are working together to share information, coordinate our actions, and avoid duplicating our efforts." In addition to HANSA and the PWG, the South African Council of Churches (SACC) has convened three meetings at its Khotso House headquarters in Johannesburg since Tuesday last week to discuss threats of xenophobia. The meetings have swelled from 15 organisations to more than 100 organisations since last week, says SACC general secretary Eddie Makue. "The SACC has been mandated to assist in combining the efforts of these organisations, all of whom have been alert to the issue of xenophobia in South Africa for a long time," Makue said. President speaks out against xenophobia Alex Eliseev 15 July President Jacob Zuma has called for calm, tolerance and unity as the country faces a threat of xenophobic violence. Zuma said on Thursday he is concerned by reports of foreign nationals fleeing South Africa after being threatened. Earlier on Thursday, police Minister Nathi Mthethwa denied any xenophobic attacks have taken place after the World Cup, saying isolated cases were nothing more than regular crimes. The president said South Africans have to work with foreigners to find and report those bent on causing mayhem across communities. He added South Africans showed the world they were peace-loving and hospitable during the World Cup and this spirit has to continue. Zuma said those making the threats wish to sow pain and destruction and police are doing everything they can to make sure this does not happen. More than 60 people were murdered in 2008 when xenophobic attacks spread across the country. (Edited by Deshnee Subramany) Attacks 'were criminality disguised as xenophobia' Sapa PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA 15 July 2010 Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Thursday dismissed reports of xenophobic attacks in some parts of the country, saying it was just a "squall of bad omen" becoming louder. "Xenophobia is not going to happen. I call on people and the media not to be part of peddling this hysteria of a possible outbreak ... There is no such systematic thing as xenophobia in the country," Mthethwa told media in Pretoria. He said these were "dangerous rumours" and risked being self-fulfilling. Police commissioner General Bheki Cele said that a week before the Soccer World Cup, about 11 buses carrying Zimbabwean nationals had entered the country, but the media did not report that. "No one reported on that but now they are focusing on those leaving," said Cele. There had been incidents linked to xenophobic attacks in the Western Cape on Sunday night where a number of foreign-owned spaza shops and container shops were burned and looted. Some vandalism and attempted looting continued during the day on Monday in Khayelitsha, where police helped Somali shop owners to remove their goods. Mthethwa, who visited the area on Monday, emphasised that they were not dismissing reports of xenophobic attacks, but that investigations revealed that xenophobia was not the case, but rather "criminality disguised as xenophobia". "We don't take people's lives for granted." Cele said a number of meetings had taken place in communities where incidents were reported and that feedback received from community members was that they had no intention of driving out foreign nationals. He singled out "criminal elements", aged 13 to 25, who terrorised people, adding that a dozen of them had been arrested. -- Sapa Johannesburg - The ANC on Thursday called on communities to name and shame those involved in attacks against foreigners. SAPA "Let us all help the law enforcement agencies by identifying, naming and shaming those who are involved in such clear act(s) of criminality," spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement. The ruling party condemned the criminal behaviour "in the strongest terms". "We urge the law enforcement agencies to continue with their good work in identifying these hooligans and detain them." Those carrying out these acts were not friends of former president Nelson Mandela, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday, Mthembu said. The party earlier this month rejected reports there could be a repeat, after the World Cup, of the xenophobic violence of 2008 which left 62 people dead and thousands displaced. Mthembu initially described the claims as "mischievous and disingenuous" while President Jacob Zuma this week described reported attacks as "rumours". "There have been reports, which we don't know the source of yet, that in fact there will be xenophobia attacks after 2010 (World Cup). We are not necessarily failing to do our duty to ensure that it does not happen, but let us just make a distinction between a rumour and a real concrete report with a clear source of information." Government was, however, "on top of the situation", Mthembu said. Xenophobia: Cops go door-to-door 15 July 2010 Polokwane - Police in Musina, Limpopo, have embarked on an awareness campaign to encourage locals to be tolerant of foreign nationals. Musina, which is situated at the Beit Bridge border post between South African and Zimbabwe, is known as the Gateway to Africa and has a high number of documented and un-documented foreigners from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and even Pakistan and India. "Since the report of possible xenophobic attacks came out last week, we started an awareness campaign on Monday at Nancefield, Weipe and Mopani farms and Doreen, as well as other areas," said Musina police spokesperson Sydney Ringane. He said more than 600 illegal immigrants cross the Limpopo River into Musina every day seeking asylum, before dispersing further into the country once they have received their asylum documents. Ringane said that since Monday, members of the Musina Social Crime Prevention Unit had been visiting communities to spread a message of peace. "We visit locals and foreigners at their homes and businesses and ask their views about xenophobia and use that information to asses if there is any danger of an attack on foreigners,” said Ringane. Tolerance So far, the general mood in the town is one of tolerance, he said. "People from Musina are far from being xenophobic as they are used to being integrated with foreigners, especially Zimbabweans and Mozambicans," he said. He said that the xenophobic violence that plagued the rest of the country in 2008, had not affected Musina either. "Most of our local community are married to foreigners and we visit each other from time to time which is why it should not be possible for xenophobia to happen here," he said. He debunked misperceptions that crimes are perpetrated by foreign nationals. "Our crime records (in Musina) reflect normal crimes that we've always had, like robbery, rape, assault, theft and house-breaking. These crimes are committed by both locals and foreigners and, even in our cells, we have a balanced number of locals and nationals,” Ringane said. - African Eye Xenophobia a capitalist plot: Sasco Sasco 15 July 2010 We are convinced that these xenophobic attacks are not spontaneous acts of hatred for foreign nationals but are meticulously planned to destabilize the country and threaten the stability of the nation, the SA Students Congress says. Sasco president Mbulelo Mandlana says: "We are disgusted by the recent spate of isolated xenophobic attacks that took place in some parts of the Western Cape, a day after the Soccer World Cup. We do understand and regret that there is a strong xenophobic element amongst the South African working class as a result of contestation for resources, but we believe there is more to these attacks than meets the eye. We condemn all forms of xenophobia wherever they are. We are going to carryout real campaigns that highlight our position to these barbaric acts in different campuses in our country". He says the attacks are not only aimed at foreign nationals but are aimed at the country itself. "There is possibly of a conspiracy far wider than the conspiracies seen before". "We call on our country’s Intelligence network to investigate the possibility of a wider conspiracy against our young democratic dispensation. Our security personnel should stomp the length and breadth of our society seeking out those who wish to destabilize our country. Our security services must ensure that the criminals involved in these incidents do not hide behind the woodworks of xenophobia," says Mandlana. He says Sasco also believes that had it not been for the capitalist nature of our society, the threat of xenophobia would not be an ever present possibility. "Xenophobia, racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination are by-products of the current mode of production, without which it cannot survive. It is for this reason that we place our energies as Sasco at the disposal of the struggle for the total emancipation of the working people and the effort for a fundamental transformation of our country," he says. Xenophobic attacks are not spontaneous! SASCO PRESS STATEMENT: 15 July 2010 We are disgusted by the recent spate of isolated xenophobic attacks that took place in some parts of the Western Cape, a day after the Soccer World Cup. We do understand and regret that there is a strong xenophobic element amongst the South African working class as a result of contestation for resources, but we believe there is more to these attacks than meets the eye. We condemn all forms of xenophobia wherever they are. We are going to carryout real campaigns that highlight our position to these barbaric acts in different campuses in our country. We are convinced that these xenophobic attacks are not spontaneous acts of hatred for foreign nationals but are meticulously planned to destabilize the country and threaten the stability of the nation. These xenophobic attacks are not only aimed at foreign nationals but are aimed at the country itself. There is possibly of a conspiracy far wider than the conspiracies seen before. We call on our country’s Intelligence network to investigate the possibility of a wider conspiracy against our young democratic dispensation. Our security personnel should stomp the length and breadth of our society seeking out those who wish to destabilize our country. Our security services must ensure that the criminals involved in these incidents do not hide behind the woodworks of xenophobia. We also believe that had it not been for the capitalist nature of our society, the threat of xenophobia would not be an ever present possibility. Xenophobia, racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination are by-products of the current mode of production, without which it cannot survive. It is for this reason that we place our energies as SASCO at the disposal of the struggle for the total emancipation of the working people and the effort for a fundamental transformation of our country. For details Contact Mbulelo Mandlana (President) 071 879 3408 Or Lazola Ndamase (Secretary General) 082 679 8718 Journo attack 'influenced by xenophobia' IOL 15 July 2010 The Daily Sun said that it was standing by a report it published on Thursday which described a xenophobic assault on one of its journalists. "The reporter is sticking to the story and it is backed up by a local councillor," said Daily Sun editor-in-chief Themba Khumalo. Khumalo promised that more revelations on the attack would be published on Friday. "We are amplifying it in tomorrow's newspaper." According to the report, Daily Sun journalist Brian Kajengo was struck on the head with a piece of firewood by an unemployed builder. The article was accompanied by a photo of the bleeding Kajengo, who was born in Zimbabwe but has lived in South Africa since 2003. Kajengo wrote that the attack had started with three Mozambican nationals being attacked in two separate incidents. Mpumalanga police had denied that the assault on Kajengo was a xenophobic attack. Captain Leonard Hlathi said Kajengo, 39, was assaulted in a fight about a cellphone at Mapulaneng on Sunday. "The fight was about a cellphone which was allegedly stolen and sold to a Zimbabwean man. The owner traced it and went to get it on Sunday," Hlathi said. "The man found in possession of the cellphone apologised and the matter was resolved." The Zimbabwean found in possession of the phone apparently went to report the matter to his countryman, Kajengo. "After that Kajengo and 12 other men went to confront the owner of the phone and a fight ensued. Kajengo was injured in the forehead and a case of assault was opened. "Allegations that the incident was influenced by xenophobia are unfounded and malicious," Hlathi said. The man who allegedly assaulted Kajengo was arrested and appeared in the Mapulaneng Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. He was released on R1 000 bail. - Sapa Attacks are about business not hatred: cops Mandilakhe Tshwete 15 July 2010 Cops are saying that several attacks on foreigners in rural areas are related to fights over business territory and not xenophobia. A Somali shopowner's house was petrol-bombed in Grabouw over the past weekend. In another incident, cops are looking for a large number of suspects who robbed a Somali-owned shop in the area of R4 000 in cash as well as cigarettes and airtime on Monday. But cop sources say even though the attacks were aimed at foreigners, they suspect that it might actually be fights over business territory and not related to xenophobic attacks which have flared up across the Western Cape in the past week. In a similar incident in Worcester last week, two Somali men died and two others were wounded when their Avian Park tuck shop was attacked. Police spokesperson Captain Mzikayise Moloi says no arrests have been made. Meanwhile, De Doorns Police Station Commander Desmond van der Westhuizen says the area that was torn apart by attacks on Zimbabweans last year is relatively quiet. "We have had no such incidents and we hope it stays that way," he says. - Daily Voice Residents urge foreigners to return Natasha Prince and Nurene Jassiem 15 July 2010 The provincial government departments assisting foreigners who fled to safety in the Cape Winelands say a number of them have returned to the areas they left. On Wednesday provincial government department spokesperson, Daniella Ebenezer said only 140 of the 250 foreigners who were taken to Antoniesvlei Hall in Wellington, remained there. About 110 people who were brought to the hall this week have returned to their communities. On Sunday night, while the world watched the World Cup final, hundreds of foreigners who have businesses in the Mbekweni informal settlement in Paarl and the New Rest settlement in Wellington were escorted to safety by police when local residents began looting their shops. The foreigners were taken to Antoniesvlei resort and were housed in a hall. But the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) secretary-general for the Boland area Peboho Majela, said local residents have called for the foreigners to return. He said a "well attended" community meeting was held on Tuesday night, where residents insisted the foreigners come back to the community. "Not a single member was doubting whether to bring back the foreigners," he said. He said that Sanco members in the area were planning to recruit foreigners in these areas on street committees they hoped to form. "We're trying to convince them to come back and we're coming with a different position. We are going to adopt some of the foreigners on our committees, when we revive the street committees," he said. Provincial police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk, said on Wednesday that so far the area was reported to have been "quiet" after Sunday night. He said police would maintain "a visible presence" in the affected areas. Meanwhile, Ebenezer said the eight foreigners who were staying at a church in Hanover Park had returned to the areas from which they fled. Also, the 25 displaced people staying at a school in Delft remain and 49 are being housed in a church in Franschhoek. Ebenezer said there were also no more foreigners along the N1 or at the Huguenot tunnel, where they had been the past few weeks, hoping to catch a ride out of the Western Cape. Civic organisations on Wednesday called on government to recognise that xenophobic attacks were happening in the Western Cape. The plea came a few days after the Cape Argus reported president Jacob Zuma saying that the threats of an outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa were still rumours. The Social Justice Coalition, Equal Education and the Treatment Action Campaign released a statement criticising government's failure to acknowledge the xenophobic nature of the recent attacks on foreigners. "In our view, it appears that senior police and the intelligence services have failed to properly brief President Zuma and the cabinet. Many senior officials appear reluctant to use the term "xenophobia" in the hope that this will result in violence subsiding." The three organisations have been holding workshops in Makhaza in Khayelitsha since last month's attacks on at least three Somali-owned shops in the area. "We have been engaging with broader civil society networks and forums, but our joint work has been limited to Khayelitsha," they said. "During this work it was found that fear of attacks after the World Cup was indeed very prevalent (among both locals and immigrants), and that many immigrants were being directly and indirectly threatened and intimidated." The group said it found that in most cases where foreigners were attacked in Khayelitsha police responded quickly and effectively "under difficult conditions". Meanwhile the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum, under the chairmanship of Dr Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, held a special consultative forum to discuss the recent attacks on foreigners. It urged the police to work with local communities in isolating those who were responsible. * This article was originally published on page 3 of Cape Argus on July 15, 2010 Blame-game solves little Our Opinion 16 July 2010 THE debate about xenophobia in South Africa needs to be tackled with sobriety and introspection rather than the ill-considered “debate” of the moment. We are witnessing nothing more than a blame game over whether or not a wave of xenophobic attacks is imminent . The government blames the media and civil society for distorting incidents into a xenophobic context. The media and the civil society say , yet again, the government is in denial and that it will, yet again, be embarrassed by a wave of violence such as that witnessed in 2008 which cost the lives of more than 60 people. The truth, we believe, is more complex. There is an element of truth in the positions of all parties to this discussion. The government is correct to be suspicious of the timing of these rumours of an imminent uprising. For this to have surfaced on the eve of the World Cup and then to have found more traction now as it ends cannot be a co incidence. We believe that a thorough inquiry is needed to understand the source of these recent rumours and the agendas which lie behind them. However, the government is also right to criticise the media for its latest reporting on this xenophobia phenomenon which has largely lacked depth and substance. Much of this reporting has easily fallen into the trap of associating incidents with xenophobia even when this link may not have existed. Generally, though, there has been little effort to understand the reasons why xenophobia is so deep-seated in South Africa and what needs to be done to eradicate such attitudes. The sad truth is that current events confirm what many have predicted for the last two years. The threat of this “time bomb” of xenophobic violence exploding now is about the same as it has been since the attacks of two years ago. There is no sudden upsurge of prejudice in our community. The evil that is there has always been there. As Jacob Dlamini illustrates in an article on this page, the suspicion and hatred of foreigners in South Africa is deep-seated and real, even among police officers. Two years ago the State was shown how easy it can be to inflame these prejudices and how easily they can be turned into a savage tsunami of violence. Little has been done to extract the rotting root of xenophobia from our society so we should not be shocked when such violence occurs again. Another wave of attacks will not be unexpected. This time we know what could happen if we don’t act to stop it. And, if we don’t, what kind of people are we? I knew I couldn't stay and take chances' RAY NDLOVU | BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE 15 July 2010 In Old Magwegwe township about 20km from Bulawayo, I meet Brian Moyo*, a tall, dark 32-year-old Zimbabwean who returned home this past weekend after receiving threats to leave Tembisa township in South Africa's East Rand area -- where he had lived for five years. "I was a victim of xenophobia back in 2008 and when my landlord warned me last week to leave as something bad might happen to me soon, I knew that I couldn't stay there anymore and take any chances", he said. Brian held out his left hand to show me the stub of an index finger that was allegedly cut by attackers one night during the xenophobic violence in May 2008. He also pointed to his left ear, the top part of which was cut off, and says softly: "They told me that this time I would be killed if I stayed". He slowly moved his head sideways, perhaps reflecting on the grave warning he received. 'Not just a rumour' For Brian, the threats of xenophobic violence against foreigners soon after South Africa's Soccer World Cup are not "just a rumour" as claimed by some. He bears constant reminders: his old wounds. As early as May this year, the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa warned that "a month from the opening match of the World Cup, threats were mounting of further mass xenophobic violence once the event is over". And since the beginning of July, scores of Zimbabweans fearing an outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa have been returning home, laden with their belongings and congesting the Beitbridge border post. A resident at the border-town, Latoya Mjungwa, noted the unusually high number of arrivals, especially in the early mornings and late at night, as well as the increased movement of property by cross-border traders. Charles Gwede, assistant regional manager-in-charge of Beitbridge border post, said: "At this stage it is difficult to tell whether people are fleeing the possible attacks or not, but we will continue to monitor the situation". Observers have warned that xenophobic violence would not just affect foreign nationals, but would also devastate the good image that South Africa had built around the World Cup. The International Organisation for Migration estimates that at least two million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, with more living in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. The economic meltdown in the country -- which began in 2000 when Zanu-PF linked war veterans and youth militia invaded white-owned farms and began a political climate of intimidation, violence and human rights abuses -- caused many to flee the country in search of better living conditions. "Sell outs" "The mistake that people make is that they just think of this as another rumour and that way when the attacks really begin no one will be prepared to help victims", says Brian. "Locals in the community where I lived made door-to-door visits to tip us of what's going to happen. It was easy for them to do so because they knew beforehand where each foreigner lives and what nationality one is." According to Moyo, the door-to-door visits were conducted at night when local residents "knew that most foreigners would be back from work" and at times used other Zimbabweans to show them where their fellow countrymen lived. "Zimbabweans sold each other out", he claims. Dilemma for constitution-making process The country's main political parties, Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) -- it also emerged -- are keenly watching the influx of Zimbabweans from South Africa and the impact this could have on the ongoing constitution-making process run by the constitutional parliamentary committee (Copac). An MDC legislator involved with Copac who requested anonymity said, "This is a big issue for us as Copac, as some of the people that are coming back have South African passports, but they are Zimbabweans. I think this is a chance for them to seriously take up the issue of dual citizenship because they are still Zimbabweans". "We can't exclude people who are highly skilled from helping to rebuild the country on the basis that they hold another citizenship. Their input in this process is important". Zanu-PF has objected to dual citizenship, while the MDC supports it. Echoing sentiments similar to that of the MDC, civic society has called for a "constitution that reflects the realities of the day". Dumisani Nkomo, Matabeleland Civic Society Consortium spokesperson said: "This is the present reality that many Zimbabweans live outside the country and are citizens of where they live". As for Moyo, he feels safer at home and will watch developments in South Africa while in Zimbabwe. *Not his real name Fear Drives Migrants Home United Nations 15 July 2010 Harare — John Muswere, 34, arrived four hours ago at the main bus terminus in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, after making an unplanned journey with his wife, their three-year-old child and few household possessions from Johannesburg, South Africa, where he spent 18 months working as a mechanic. "I am left with little money on me because I left South Africa in a hurry and before my employer could pay me. All the transport operators are saying my money is too little and I don't know how I am going to leave this place [the bus terminus]," Muswere told IRIN while his wife tried to pacify their wailing child. The hasty trip was prompted by rumours that foreigners would be targeted once the FIFA World Cup finished, just as they were in May 2008, when 62 people were killed and more than 100,000 displaced. Since the final game on 11 July there have been numerous attacks on foreign nationals and their businesses, mainly in Western Cape Province. The Forced Migration Studies Programme (FMSP) of the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, estimates that 1.2 million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, mostly arriving in the past decade after their country's economy collapsed. "I will be starting from scratch, and at no time has life been so uncertain for me. I don't know how I am going to feed the family because it might be a long time before I get a job here," Muswere said. His uncle has offered them temporary accommodation. The threats began a few months before the soccer world cup, and came in the form of notes pasted on the door of their one-room rented flat in the inner-city suburb of Berea, Johannesburg, "telling me that they would kill me and my family if I remained in their country after the World Cup". I thought they were mere threats until they accosted my neighbour, who was coming from night duty at a local supermarket where he worked as a security guard, poured petrol on him and set him alight The notes accused Muswere and other Zimbabweans in the suburb of "stealing their sisters, jobs and houses". "I thought they were mere threats until they accosted my neighbour, who was coming from night duty at a local supermarket where he worked as a security guard, poured petrol on him and set him alight. Fortunately, he survived but he is still in hospital," said Muswere. Grace Takawira, 46, arrived on the same bus as Muswere after travelling from Western Cape, where she had been employed as a domestic worker for the past four years. "I just packed my few belongings and hitch-hiked to Johannesburg, where I boarded a bus to Harare," Takawira told IRIN. "I had seen several Zimbabweans and other foreigners being attacked shortly after the World Cup ended. Many foreigners who feared for their lives sought shelter at police stations, but I could not stand the idea of living as a refugee." She has decided to try cross-border trading to feed her three children. "Hundreds of Zimbabweans are crossing back to Zimbabwe on a daily basis as they flee xenophobic attacks," said the bus driver, who plies the Harare-Johannesburg route but declined to be identified. Burdening a weak economy "Most of them are in a desperate situation, as they don't have enough money for bus fares. Some of them only managed enough money to come as far as Beitbridge [on the Zimbabwe side of the border] and are squatting in that town," he told IRIN. "The South African government should improve on its policies, so that more jobs are created and there is greater literacy among citizens of that country," John Makumbe, a Harare based political analyst, told IRIN. "It is clear that high levels of unemployment, widespread poverty, and low levels of skills are contributing to xenophobia among South Africans, who see foreigners as the main cause of their problems." Innocent Makwiramiti, an economist and former chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, expected problems. "The economy is still weak and the return of Zimbabweans from South Africa will push up unemployment. While those that are returning might have skills in their respective professions, it will be difficult for them to start their own ventures because they don't have the capital." [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ] South African people and its government have betrayed Africa BONGI DLODLO Zimbabwe Telegraph 16 July 2010 To fathom that few weeks ago we were like one African family cheering behind the bafana-bafana team is quite shocking. The South African flag was on almost every car, house ,College, university and, for once, Africa’s hopes were revived. Indeed it is time for Africa. Where has this xenophobia come from then? To make matters worse it’s targeted at the same poor peasants who stood by you in time of need. The Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals were there helping to make the African World Cup event a success,but I am truly astounded to hear that the foreign African nationals are scampering for safety. The most embarrassing situation is that the xenophobia is being targeted against African brothers and sisters.Where has the spirit of pan-Africanism gone to? Africa has played a pivotal role to ensure that your independence became a reality. When Mandela was released from prison we were all mad with joy. I remember as a young man running with joy upon catching wind of the news that South Africa was free. It was indeed a sigh of relief to us because I had heard the ordeal they went through in the fight against apartheid. Many ordinary citizens from countries like Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe were persecuted by the apartheid regime because of you. However they never threw up the towel for your sake, they persevered for the sake of Africa. Is this how you are going to repay the same ordinary people who suffered for you? Do not mock God, every creature must submit to God and respect other people. As we speak more than hundred African brothers and sisters have died at your hands, cold blooded murder of innocent people. Why South Africa Why. The South African government though I have always respected President Zuma for his mediation efforts in Zimbabwe has played a willing accomplice in this ruthless, criminal episode. I do not need a rocket scientist to know that such a horrendous activity of murder and butchering of innocent Africans can take place in their back yard and they will not apprehend any culprit. In 2008 African brothers were roasted alive with tires and ,funny enough, no significant arrests were made. Xenophobia has reared its ugly head again, and now the perpetrators are super charged because they got away with it. It is very clear that the leadership of the country is trying to hide behind a finger, but God will judge your nation harshly if you do not repent from the terror you have subjected your neighbors to . I think what is left is a SADC and AU resolve to let South Africa to play alone because it does not play well with neighbors. I know the South African government sympathizes with the victims during the day and celebrate at night, but let it be known to you that what goes around comes around and history shall make you to account for your actions I appeal to human rights organizations to begin legal action against the South African government on behalf of the victims. These victims should be compensated for shock, torture and death and the hands of their citizens. Some children are now street kids and orphans because of this violence, some people have been displaced while others have their future put in limbo after their meager but hard earned acquired property was set ablaze with these heartless African citizens (South Africans).The actions of our South African brothers have created destitutes and some of the children are now orphans resulting in them dying in the streets from poverty and starvation. I urge the human rights activists to stand up and gather all the data about all the people who were massacred so that the record can be clear to the rest of Africa. South Africans have failed to appreciate that they do not leave in an Island. Its indeed very painful to realize that some foreign nationals who helped in making the world cup a success left the country fleeing for dear life without being paid for their hard work because of fear .Most South African employers took advantage and delayed to pay these foreign nationals so that they would flee leaving their money behind. Worse still some South Africans have looted the property of foreign nationals which took them a lifetime to acquire. How painful is that, being injured by your own brother. Civil society should come in urgently to help these hapless people who are struggling to put food on their table. If the government wanted to stamp this xenophobia out it would not take time. Sadly, it seems to be silently approving this callous and satanic act. South Africa should stand and unequivocally tell the continent about its position; about whether or not it is is part of us. We are not ready to force them to be part us; we have played our role of emancipating them. Simbarashe Chirimubwe is the leader of Concerned Africans Association (CAA) and Global Zimbabwe Forum Coordinator for Africa. Cops say reports of attacks are just rumours Francis Hweshe Sowetan 15 July 2010 DESPITE reports of looting of foreign-owned shops, the displacement and mass fleeing of refugees in several Cape Town townships, police have denied this is linked to xenophobia. Provincial police chief Lieutenant-General Mzwandile Petros said the media was responsible for creating the xenophobia rumours, resulting in refugees fleeing their communities. President Jacob Zuma was quoted yesterday as saying reports of impending xenophobic attacks remained rumours. Petros said the suspects who were arrested for looting several Somali- owned shops at Khayelitsha had not intimidated the owners, but broke into abandoned shops. He said Zimbabweans were leaving the Boland region because there was no more work for them, as the seasonal farming cycle had ended. Petros said for the last three months the police had investigated the rumours and there was no evidence that foreigners would be attacked. He was speaking on Tuesday night at a provincial safety forum meeting – a body formed after the 2008 xenophobic attacks – which he chairs. The purpose of the forum was originally to exchange information on xenophobia between the police and civic bodies. Several civic organisations, including the Legal Resources Centre, the Social Justice Coalition, Cosatu and the SA National Civics Organisation, attended the meeting. Some organisations want the forum to be an “omnibus” and to deal with issues beyond information exchange. Petros rejected that, saying the police would only focus on preventing attacks, and urged the organisations to focus on mediation in communities. Provincial head of disaster risk management Hildegard Fast said government departments were ready to engage the organisations on ways to prevent xenophobic attacks. Scared foreigners flee from area Corrinne Louw Sowetan 15 July 2010 READY TO ACT: Security has been tightened at Bottlebrush informal settlement after foreigners deserted their shacks in fear of xenophobic attacks. PHOTO: THULI DLAMINI POLICE were out in full force yesterday at the Bottlebrush informal settlement in Chatsworth, the scene of a violent xenophobic attacks at the weekend. One foreign national was hospitalised. Hundreds of foreigners are said to have already fled the settlement after fears of violent attacks on foreigners became a reality on the day the World Cup ended. Although police have denied that the attacks on the foreigners were related to xenophobia, many foreigners are taking no chances and have left in droves. Yesterday, hundreds of shacks that belonged to foreigners were deserted and residents were adamant that they wanted the foreigners to return to “their own countries”. Thabo Moleko, a Bottlebrush resident, said two of his neighbours had fled. “We are not sure if they are gone back to Zimbabwe. They might be around Durban but they have moved from here,” he said. Bottlebrush community leader Falakhe Mhlongo said tensions were running high. “It’s going to get worse over the weekend when people start drinking. That’s why we are trying to arrange for a meeting to get the whole community together to try to educate them about xenophobia.” Foreigners 'chased like dogs Caryn Dolley 14 July 2010 Foreigners forced from informal settlements around the province are still too scared to return to their homes because they fear being attacked again. "I'm not going back. I don't care if the police are there. I am scared. They've torn down my shop and my brothers who have gone back were threatened again. We will wait - maybe until next week," Abduragman Alikar, a Somali who ran a shop in Khayelitsha, said on Tuesday. On Sunday and Monday scores of foreigners left a number of informal settlements around the province after being threatened. Some had had their shops looted. Late on Monday in Nyanga fears of attacks against foreigners were further fuelled when the body of a 33-year-old Malawian, Peter Chavura, was discovered. He had been murdered and his genitals cut off. Nyanga police station spokeswoman Ntomboxolo Sitshitshi said the murder was not xenophobia-related. She said Chavura had been drinking with his friends on Sunday at a shebeen in Samora Machel. That was where his girlfriend last saw him but on Monday a resident told her his body had been discovered in bushes in the area. Pictures of the scene show his genitals on grass near his body. In another section of Nyanga late on Monday another Malawian man, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said he was kicked out his house after locals stoned it, then broke down the front door, before chasing him and his family out. The Malawian said five of his friends had also been chased out the area. His employer, who did not want to be named for fear of jeopardising him, said the man was now no longer at his home and was staying with friends. On Tuesday in Nyanga, foreign-owned shops were either empty or locked up. Franschhoek police station spokeswoman Marize Papier said all the foreign-owned shops in the area were also closed on Tuesday following a day of looting. She said 53 foreigners were staying in a church there and would possibly go back home within the next few days. In Grabouw, resident Rochelle Wegner also said a number of Somali- and Nigerian-owned shops had been looted and a number of foreigners had left the area. Along the N1 on Tuesday near the Huguenot Tunnel, more than 20 Zimbabweans were waiting, trying to get transport out the province. They had been at the roadside since the weekend when many had been kicked out of informal settlements. "It's the xenophobia that's forcing us away. I?m afraid, my friend. We came here on Sunday after they chased us out of Mbekweni (in Paarl). "The people from there chased us like dogs. "There's no work or food in Zimbabwe and I provide for my family from here. "But I must go where it's safe," said a woman, who wanted to be identified only as "Sarah" because she feared reprisals. On Monday, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa visited the Western Cape to assess xenophobic attacks. The minister said criminals were behind the incidents. # caryn.dolley@inl.co.za * This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on July 14, 2010 Zimbabweans Flee as Xenophobic Attacks Break-Out Tichaona Sibanda 14 July 2010 Many Zimbabweans living in Gauteng province in South Africa have fled their homes in the last 48 hours as sporadic incidents of violence have broken out since Monday. In and around areas surrounding Johannesburg it's alleged that gangs are moving door to door robbing terrified foreigners of household goods like televisions and refrigerators, and of cash. Ezra 'Tshisa' Sibanda, Zimbabwe's popular radio DJ told us from Johannesburg on Wednesday that police were on high alert in areas where Zimbabweans and other foreigners are being targeted. 'The situation here is bad. Despite the authorities denying an outbreak of attacks on foreigners, it is happening right now in some areas in Gauteng province. I have personally been to townships where South Africans are toyi-toying and shouting obscenities towards foreigners and telling them to go back to their countries,' Sibanda said. He added; 'I've also met Zimbabweans who have told me some of their goods have been stolen and in the process they've also been chased away from their homes. The South Africans are moving door-to-door and once they detect the house is occupied by a foreigner, they invade it, steal household goods and simply walk away.' Refugee aid groups recently warned of a wave of xenophobic attacks after the World Cup. This led to hundreds of foreigners, many from Zimbabwe, leaving South Africa last week. Sibanda said many foreign nationals fled their homes after the World Cup final on Sunday, as sporadic incidents of xenophobic violence broke out. Those who remained are facing persistent threats of violence in some of the townships. In 2008, 62 people died and 150 000 were displaced in a wave of xenophobic attacks around the country. This time around South African Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said the South African National Defence Force would make resources available to help the police stop the criminals who were threatening residents. 'Opportunistic criminals must know that we will deal with them harshly, there is no way we will allow them to spread fear and crime, we are working very hard to find them and prosecute them,' she said. Police ministry spokesman Zweli Mnisi said criminals were using xenophobia as an excuse to create 'anarchy and anxiety. He said any criminality disguised as xenophobia will not be tolerated. Xenophobia: The situation in Cape Town SJC, EE and TAC 14 July 2010 SJC, EE and TAC says there were anti-immigrant motives behind recent attacks Government Must Acknowledge & Address Xenophobia in Cape Town In 2008 xenophobic violence swept across South Africa, leaving 62 people dead and more than 100 000 people displaced. The State's reaction was beleaguered by a slow humanitarian response, a lack of information regarding incidents on the ground, and failures to adequately prepare for and deal with mass-displacement; all exacerbated by infighting between the various spheres of government. Xenophobic sentiment, harassment and violence has persisted, albeit in a more sporadic and less organized manner. The biggest crisis in the Western Cape to happen since took place in November 2009 when approximately 2500 immigrants (largely Zimbabweans) were displaced in De Doorns. Since 2008, we have received regular reports of isolated intimidation and destruction of property affecting foreign nationals in areas across Khayelitsha. More recently, rumours have circulated claiming that immigrants would be attacked once the Football World Cup came to a close. The origins of these rumours are uncertain, but it is clear that they are not baseless, as we will illustrate below. The argument that they are self-fulfilling comes as little consolation to the thousands of immigrants around Cape Town and their South African friend's and neighbours' who are now living in fear. After an incident in Makhaza in which at least three Somali owned stores were attacked immediately following South Africa's dismissal from the World Cup last month; The Social Justice Coalition (SJC), Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and Equal Education and (EE) decided to run workshops with staff and members to discuss xenophobia and how it could be combated. We have been engaging with broader civil society networks and forums, but our joint work has been limited to Khayelitsha, an area badly affected by violence in 2008 and an area in which we have existing grassroots networks which enable us to effectively reach the wider community. During this work it was found that fear of attacks after the World Cup was indeed very prevalent (amongst both locals and immigrants), and that many immigrants were being directly and indirectly threatened and intimidated. In addition to trying to prevent violence by encouraging communities to stand against xenophobia, we have been using our networks to monitor xenophobic activity in the community. Regular reports of widespread xenophobic criminal activity began reaching us on Sunday evening. Since then, we have learnt of at least 15 incidents in Khayelitsha, all of which have been reported to Khayelitsha Police and the Disaster Management Centre. The majority of the incidents entailed the looting of Somali-owned shops by roving gangs ranging from 10 to 30 individuals. This happened in a variety of locations across Khayelitsha, including Kuyasa, R and L Sections, TR, TQ & QQ Sections, M, BM & V Sections, Makhaza 33 Section and SST Section in Town 2. Intimidation - and attacks on the property - of Zimbabwean and Malawian citizens was also reported. In most cases the owners of the shops targeted pre-emptively responded to threats by vacating their homes and premises before the attacks occurred. On Tuesday, almost all Somali owned stores were found to be abandoned. As mentioned, our activities have been largely restricted to Khayelitsha. There have however also been reports of attacks on foreign-owned shops in Wallacedene, Du Noon, Ocean View, Nyanga and Philipi. There has been significant displacement in Cape Town, with nearly 1000 displaced Somalis allegedly looking for sanctuary in Belville after fleeing their homes. This pattern seems to have also extended across the Western Cape, with incidents reported in Grabouw, Klapmuts, Delft, Wellington and Mbekweni. In Mbekweni the attacks were apparently especially serious, and resulted in injury to a small number of foreign nationals and police officers. Daniella Ebenezer - spokesperson for provincial disaster management - said 70 immigrants had sought refuge on Sunday night at the Mbekweni police station and 22 at Wellington SAPS. The Police have in general responded quickly and effectively under difficult conditions to violence in Khayelitsha which has contributed in part to the relative calm Khayelitsha since Tuesday. We are however most distressed by Government's failure to acknowledge the xenophobic nature of recent attacks and by extension address the fear felt by countless immigrants who have been threatened or directly affected. On 9 July Minister of Police and Convenor of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Xenophobia Nathi Mthethwa spoke at a Xenophobia Summit in Khayelitsha in which he cautioned "that this alarmist phobia by those who fuel these rumours is intended to divert attention of the world from our success and celebratory mood". On Monday - while attacks were underway - President Jacob Zuma noted that he was "not certain whether there have been threats of xenophobia ... there have been rumours that have been reported". In our view, it appears that senior police and the intelligence services have failed to properly brief President Zuma and the cabinet. Many senior officials appear reluctant to use the term "xenophobia" in the hope that this will result in violence subsiding. We call on Local, Provincial and National Government to immediately recognize that individuals around Cape Town and the Western Cape are being targeted based on their nationality. We especially call on President Zuma to lead and support efforts to prevent attacks on stateless people from other African countries. At this time it is inconsequential to question whether the original rumours were devious or based on an illegitimate threat, or whether these acts are being perpetrated out of hate or a desire to opportunistically commit criminal acts. None of this detracts from the fact that a specific group of people is being targeted, and are very much in need of particular protection. The abundance of reports of threats and intimidation, and violent destruction of property belonging to foreign nationals compels Government to recognize this, and plan and act accordingly. The overwhelming majority of people in our communities want safety and security for all and have no desire to harm people from other countries. The World Cup demonstrated several very important facts - government provided leadership and resources, our people responded enthusiastically, crime was curbed, South Africans supported all our African teams and visitors. We must use this unity of purpose to address safety and security for all people irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, class or nationality. Joint statement issued by Social Justice Coalition, Equal Education and the Treatment Action Campaign, July 14 2010 NGOs call on Zuma to recognise xenophobia Sapa 14 July 2010 Officials seemed to be avoiding use of the word xenophobia in the hope that the violence in the Western Cape would subside, three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) charged. Zimbabweans carry their belongings to the community hall. Xenophobia broke out in De Doorns quote "Many senior officials appear reluctant to use the term 'xenophobia' in the hope that this will result in violence subsiding quote "We call on local, provincial and national government to immediately recognise that individuals around Cape Town and the Western Cape are being targeted based on their nationality," they said in a statement. The NGOs - the Social Justice Coalition, Equal Education and the Treatment Action Campaign - said they had learned of at least 15 incidents of "xenophobic criminal activity" in Khayelitsha alone since Sunday. Most entailed looting of Somali-owned shops by roving gangs ranging from ten to 30 individuals. A string of other incidents and threats had been reported from surrounding areas and towns. They said Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa had criticised what he called "this alarmist phobia", while President Jacob Zuma had said he was "not certain whether there have been threats of xenophobia". "It appears that senior police and the intelligence services have failed to properly brief president Zuma and the Cabinet," the NGOs said. "Many senior officials appear reluctant to use the term 'xenophobia' in the hope that this will result in violence subsiding." They called on Zuma to lead and support efforts to prevent attacks on people from other African countries. They said it was inconsequential to question whether the acts were being perpetrated out of hate or a desire to opportunistically commit criminal acts. "None of this detracts from the fact that a specific group of people is being targeted, and are very much in need of particular protection." ANC fiddles while xenophobic sentiment swirls Jacob Dlamini Business Day 15 July 2010 THE first time I heard about plans to expel foreigners from SA after the World Cup was in December last year. I was conducting research on an African National Congress (ANC) branch in Katlehong at the time, and the person who alerted me to the plans was a branch member. He said residents, including ANC members, were talking openly about a plot to send foreigners packing. The talk was not limited to any section of the community. It involved both young and old, men and women. The branch executive was informed about the talk and, because it was just talk, members were advised to keep tabs on it, to see who was doing the talking and to find out why. The anti-immigrant talk seemed to die out in the build-up to the World Cup. I was away from SA from January to May and did not pay the matter any mind, believing it to be under control. Local ANC activists had, after all, helped spare Katlehong the worst excesses of the May 2008 xenophobic pogroms. However, my complacency was disturbed one weekend shortly after my return in May by a report in the Mail & Guardian saying that SA’s security agencies were investigating rumours of plans for anti-immigrant pogroms after the World Cup. That same weekend, I had a chance encounter with a researcher from Wits University’s Southern African Migration Project. She confirmed the Mail & Guardian story and said her outfit was also looking into the rumours. Then followed casual encounters with neighbours and strangers who said, quite openly, that come July 12, foreigners must return to wherever they come from. Once, while hanging out at a traders’ market on the border of Katlehong and Vosloorus, I overheard a group of local women taunting a Mozambican man, telling him to go home. The women were in good spirits and the man, who seemed to know them, shot back that many local women would starve if Mozambican men were to return to their home country. But there was no escaping the menace buried deep in the exchange. When I told relatives who acted and sounded as if they were part of the anti- immigrant plots that they risked arrest, they said not to worry. The police were in on the plots. They said the police were just as “fed up” with the Shangaans, which is the omnibus term for a foreigner in Katlehong, regardless of whether a foreigner speaks Shangaan or not. I was not surprised. I had heard policemen express some of the worst xenophobia imaginable. A couple of weeks ago a friend, the same ANC member who first warned me about the anti-Shangaan plots in December 2009, called to say he and comrades from his branch had just interviewed a group of youths in southern Katlehong who claimed to have been stockpiling weapons for the pogroms. “This thing is serious,” I recall my friend saying. He said the boys seemed determined. My friend, who is also a ward councillor, is connected to the local ANC councillor and the police, and I assume the police and the local political leaders know everything he knows. Before my friend’s call, a Bangladeshi man who runs a spaza shop on our street told a cousin that a stranger had recently visited the shop and told the Bangladeshi man to make sure he was gone by the end of the World Cup. The Bangladeshi approached my cousin because my cousin was a community activist and, like him, Muslim. He was scared. So far, rumours of anti-immigrant pogroms have been just that, rumours. However, rumours do not stop being important or dangerous simply because they are rumours. People act on rumours. Individuals base their politics and beliefs on rumours. That is why the media should not shy away from reporting on the rumours. We should not pretend that people on our streets are not making dangerous noises simply because no one seems to have acted on those noises yet. It is not to embarrass SA and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to say that we are sitting on a time bomb that could be ignited easily by something as “flimsy” as a rumour. SA has already been embarrassed once before and it would not do to circle the wagons, as the ANC seems to be doing, and to pretend that there is no problem. The ANC branch I studied last year is in panic mode. Activists are worried about young people amassing arms, old people saying things that legitimate xenophobia and a police force that cannot be trusted. It would be interesting to learn when last Mthethwa attended a meeting of his ANC branch. It is possible that he would not know an ANC branch meeting even if it met in his ministerial house. But it might do him some good to go to a branch meeting to hear what members are hearing and saying about the power of rumours. What is that slogan favoured by the ANC: Each one teach one? - Dlamini is author of Native Nostalgia (Jacana 2009). No time for denialism:Those who heard the dog bark remember its bite, write Loren B Landau and Tara Polzer Loren B Landau and Tara Polzer 14 July 2010 The Big Read: For the past three months, civil society organisations, academics and even some government officials have been warning that xenophobic attacks are coming soon after the World Cup has ended. TIME BOMB: By shifting the blame for violence to purportedly 'unpatriotic' or 'Afro-pessimist' (read 'racist') individuals, media outlets, and institutions that speak openly about the violence, the police minister is taking aim at the messengers, not the perpetrators Picture: ALON SKUY Over the past two weeks, those same people have seen World Cup fever give way to a feverish effort to prevent the forthcoming melee. No one has been readying themselves more fervently than migrants, many of whom have made their way to safety either in South Africa or beyond its borders. Some, who heard the dog barking and, remembering the brutal attacks of May 2008, fear its mortal bite. Following last week's meeting of the inter-ministerial committee dedicated to addressing the expected attacks, senior government officials have developed a co-ordinated, if somewhat ambivalent, approach to the relapse into xenophobic violence. Along with the firm (if fallacious) statements that South Africa is not a banana republic, where people can murder with impunity, officials have been denying that the threats should be taken seriously. Only this week, newspapers quoted President Jacob Zuma's response: "I'm not certain whether there have been threats of xenophobia. I know that there have been rumours that have been reported." As of now, he continued, there was no "concrete evidence" of attacks. The hundreds of Zimbabweans and others who are fleeing hostile communities are, if we are to believe what officials tell us, simply seasonal farm workers returning home. The minister and the deputy minister of police, and others, have accused "prophets of doom" and "Afro-pessimists" of trying to rob South Africa and, presumably, the ANC, of its World Cup glory by talking about xenophobia. But the words of senior politicians do have significant impact. Stating that the attacks are "mere rumours" or "mere crime" is worrying. Most obviously, it reveals government leaders who are either out of touch with their own intelligence and police services, or are willing to publicly prevaricate about threats to the country's residents. Police and intelligence services have been warning of rising tension and the seriousness of threats since early in the year, well before any public or media discussions, which are now accused of "creating" or "fuelling" violence. At what point do distributing threatening pamphlets, regular verbal threats in communities, and community meetings in which people outline their plans to get rid of foreigners constitute more than a rumour? But, whatever the reasons for their response, all South African residents will be the losers. What we have seen over the past few weeks is not only a government unwilling to acknowledge the threat of xenophobic violence, but an administration that seeks to deny others the possibility of raising the warning flag. Moreover, by denying xenophobia as a motivation, the inter-ministerial committee does not acknowledge, and cannot explain, why specific groups are targeted. Labelling an attack xenophobically motivated does not mean that all South Africans are consumed by bigotry and hatred. But some people regularly single out specific groups for abuse, explicitly couching their threats in discriminatory language. If shouts of "You Makwerekwere, get out" are, indeed, "disguising" alternative motivations, as Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa suggests, local political and business interests are playing on existing sentiments and anger. These attacks might be criminal, but they ignore the tools - hatred, bigotry, and a willingness to turn to violence - that enable them. By shifting the blame for violence to purportedly "unpatriotic" or "Afro-pessimist" (read "racist") individuals, media outlets, and institutions that speak openly about the violence, Mthethwa is taking aim at the messengers, not the perpetrators. This is a dangerous trend for a democratic country that is, at least formally, committed to open and public debate. If we are lucky enough to avoid the conflagrations that caught hold in 2008, let us not forget that the dog has already bitten. Only this week, a Ghanaian was shot down in the streets of Khayelitsha, flying straight in the face of the heart-warming pan-African solidarity mustered during the World Cup. A few days earlier, passengers shouting insults against foreigners threw a Zimbabwean out of a moving train. How is that "opportunistic crime"? Moreover, hundreds if not thousands of people have fled their homes in Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng out of fear. As much as the government deserves to bask in its World Cup victory, the international and continental media are already taking notice. Which is worse for the country: violence and fear, or a government ready to deny that ethnic cleansing is being attempted on its watch? Denying that ethnic, national and other divisions exist will not help us in our search for unity. The lives and livelihoods of foreigners and other outsiders are now at risk. This should alarm us. What should worry us more are threats to political credibility and a society in which elected officials heed warnings, accurately identify and diagnose problems and treat the population - regardless of origin - with respect and provide them with the security they deserve. * Landau and Polzer are researchers in the Forced Migration Studies Programme, at the University of the Witwatersrand I am a foreigner - to hatred: Show a 'makwerekwere' that SA is where the heart is Jonathan Jansen 14 July 2010 Jonathan Jansen: When I read with horror that scores of Zimbabwean refugees were camping along the N1 highway to flee the Rainbow Nation, in response to threats of what would happen to them once the World Cup ended, I again found myself drawing on that profound source of intellectual inspiration, the animated film Finding Nemo. quote There is a dark side to such passionate love of country: it excludes quote As Marlin (Nemo's father) drifts off by himself, despondent that he cannot find his son, Dory (the fish with Alzheimer's, as one youngster put it) begs him over and over again not to leave. Then Dory makes a telling observation about their relationship that I will never forget: his final plea to Marlin comes with the words: "I look at you, and I'm home." How I wish a South African resident could look a Malawian refugee in the face, and the two say to each other, "I look at you, and I'm home." Dory's words speak of home not as a literal place or a strip of land but as a heart relationship between human beings. Anyone who has lost a mother will know what I mean; going home just isn't the same after your mother has died. Because home was not the house; it was that bond of love between mother and children. A brilliant movie maker, Molly Blank, renders a powerful account about xenophobia in her new documentary, Where Do I Stand?. She tells the story of the 2008 attacks on foreigners in which 62 people died; the story is told through the voices of five South African youngsters. Some of them were involved in the looting and attacks. As they reflect on their criminal deeds, the young people come to understand that those they harmed were human beings, with the same fears, anxieties and aspirations that they have. Then something profound happens: the attackers begin to repair the damage. They make public statements of regret, but then they also take their business back to the Somalian shopkeepers, walking past the shops of native vendors to make the point. Other young people in the documentary find ways of caring for their brothers and sisters in different ways. One student hides a makwerekwere (a derogatory word for foreigners) in his sparse home. The young people take a stand. And slowly but surely, black and white, they begin to share their homes and their lives with those living between two desperate worlds: their home countries and this refugee nation. What happens, clearly, is that the moment of human recognition dawns on these young South Africans: "I see you, and I'm home". We South Africans need to look in the mirror after this World Cup and ask ourselves an uncomfortable question: Why do we celebrate Ghanaians and other Africans on the soccer pitch but persecute them in the townships? I saw rich and poor natives of our land weep when Luis "Hand of God" Suarez robbed Ghana of a sure goal en route to the World Cup semi-finals. I see no such solidarity of emotion as the bloody hands of natives shove threatening letters under the shack doors of our neighbours from the region. What kind of hypocrisy is this? This was always my fear about the wave of nationalistic fever that spread across the land during the World Cup; there is a dark side (if you will forgive the pun) to such passionate love of country - it excludes. Our pan-African solidarity is superficial; a cosmopolitan view of the world is lacking. And for this we pay the price in blood. Make no mistake, the people who are now pursuing foreigners will sooner or later turn on the rest of us. There will always have to be a scapegoat for misery, real or imagined. The people who kill foreigners one day will quickly divide the rest of us into a "non" group (you complete the "non-."). I have had my fair share of people (some very well-educated) calling me "non-" because they believe they are whiter or blacker than others of us. Watch out for these killers. I am about to buy and distribute T-shirts that carry the words "I AM A FOREIGNER". I am a foreigner to xenophobia, to race-hatred, to stereotyping, to the physical and emotional abuse of our neighbours, to mindless patriotism. I hope millions of South Africans will wear such T-shirts. The foreigners are us, and we are them. Find a foreigner, grab him by the shoulders and then say boldly: "I look at you, and I'm home." * Molly Blank's DVD on healing and hope in the wake of xenophobia, with teacher resources, can be obtained by visiting the website www.wheredoIstandfilm.com Xenophobia and denialism Denialism no answer to xenophobia: Imraan Buccus Imagine if, in 2009, an armed white mob chanting racist slogans stormed a building known to house mostly black people and proceeded to hurl people to their deaths. If local officials and politicians tried to deny that the motive had been racism and said that the mob was merely searching for criminals their denialism would, correctly, be seen as appeasement. There would, and rightly so, be massive national and international outrage as the appeasement of barbarism. In May 2008 foreign-born Africans were attacked in Umbilo and hounded out of Cato Manor and Chatsworth. Local officials and politicians responded with the denialism that has often cursed the ruling elite. That denialism was, unquestionably, a form of appeasement. A social pathology cannot be confronted if it is not clearly named. The obfuscation around the realities of the xenophobic attacks in Durban in May last year has allowed the disease of xenophobia to fester. Now it has returned in the most horrific way. And once again, the brutal reality that blatant and murderous xenophobia stains our city has been masked by denialism on the part of some local politicians and officials. Every time a ward councillor or police officer says that the horrific recent attack on the refugee shelter in Broad Street was just an attack on criminals they are guilty of appeasement. The inexcusable cannot be excused. But naming xenophobia for what it is will not be enough. We also need to understand how and why this disease festers in our society. Most of the responses to the many pogroms have manifestly failed in this regard. Indeed elite commentators often responded with the “analysis” that it was just an attack on the poor that revealed their expertise to amount to little more than typical middle-class prejudice towards the poor. The reality is that xenophobia runs through all levels of our society and that, from the beginning of the democratic era, there have been huge levels of xenophobia in our society. It is also true that when the May pogroms happened some of the most effective and committed opposition, especially here in Durban, came from poor communities. Xenophobia is not a disease of the poor – it is a disease of South Africa. There are rich xenophobes and poor xenophobes, xenophobes in mobs on the street and xenophobes working for the police or the Department of Homes Affairs. An important attempt to theorise xenophobia in South Africa comes in the form of an excellent book by Michael Neocosmos, a respected political theorist. It was published in 2006 and is titled ‘Foreign Natives’ to ‘Native Foreigners’: Explaining Xenophobia in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Neocosmos gives a detailed history of how apartheid denied South African citizenship to Africans and attempted, via the Bantustan system, to turn African South Africans into foreigners in their own country. He also shows that the apartheid denial of citizenship to Africans was vigorously challenged by popular and democratic ideas of citizenship. Neocosmos argues that radicalisation and democratisation of the popular resistance to apartheid in the late 1980s created a new and democratic conception of the nation based on the idea that South Africa belongs to all who live in it. This was a non-racial vision, which was also not narrowly nationalist in that it included migrant workers and others not born in South Africa. But Neocosmos argues that when the ANC was unbanned and popular democratic politics demobilised and subordinated to top down party structures there was a return to the exclusive power of the state to decide who is a citizen and who is not. Ordinary people, once agents of their own politics, were reduced to political passivity. For Neocosmos the ruling elite “is unable to think beyond the confines of exclusion and control … Popular organisational and militant democratic struggles are no longer within its ambit of thought.” Once the state had regained the right to determine citizenship the post-apartheid state immediately began treating migrants in the most appalling ways and, also, used xenophobic discourse in the most reckless ways. Neocosmos shows that while politicians often spoke as if the phrase “illegal immigrant” meant the same thing as the word “criminal”, the fact is that 98% of people arrested on criminal charges in our country are citizens of our country. If we take Neocosmos seriously it also becomes clear that, while NGOs have done a good job of documenting state and popular xenophobia, they have failed to take it on and will continue to be unable to directly confront it. This is because, while NGOs are very good at constructing people as victims and raising awareness about suffering, they have no power to confront oppression on their own. All they can do is to make appeals to the state but they have no way to force their agenda on the state. If there is to be a real challenge to xenophobia it will come from a return to the popular modes of bottom up democratic politics that challenged the apartheid state in the Seventies and the Eighties. When these kinds of politics build solidarity between people who work the same jobs, live in the same places and so on, irrespective of race or country of origin, and when they do this outside of the logic of party politics which, with its emphasis on state conceptions of citizenship is inherently xenophobic, they can build an organic and powerful opposition to state and popular xenophobia. But the great tragedy of the last few years is that the state has largely sought to repress the return to popular democratic politics. And NGOs have responded to the return to a bottom up grassroots politics organised outside of the logic of state conceptions of citizenship with similar anxiety. If we are serious about defeating this cancer in our society we’ll have to acknowledge the importance of popular democratic politics organised outside of the narrow logic of party politics. We’ll have to return to a politics of popular solidarity. Xenophobia is just rumours, like the girl without bloomers johnvscott@mweb.co.za 14 July 2010 OUR Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, is, if he doesn't mind my saying so, a bit like that young woman in the musical Oklahoma who sings "them stories 'bout the way I lost my bloomers - rumours!". To Mthethwa, them stories about xenophobia are just rumours. And not just rumours. Also "hysteria" and "alarmist phobia", spread by "irresponsible reporting", "sinister forces" and the "prophets of doom". Well, there you have it in a nutshell. In fact the fear of all the fleeing Somalis, Zimbabweans, Malawians and other foreign Africans is the same as the young man's mistaken belief that his girl had a habit of dropping her knickers - just a figment of their imagination. The important thing to realise is that you can't accuse everyone who burns down foreign-owned shops and loots their contents of being a xenophobe. They could be ordinary criminals practising xenophobia in the hope that their actions might be excused. On the other hand, it is only fair that residents who help to burn and loot shops are not classed as ordinary criminals, but as bona fide xenophobes who are just gatvol of foreigners. Sometimes journalists are too stupid to spot the difference between a rampaging resident and a criminal in heavy, xenophobic disguise. Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has complicated the issue by announcing that "opportunistic criminals" would be dealt with harshly. This had led to the belief that not only will genuine xenophobes get off more lightly, but so will ordinary criminals who have refrained from being too opportunistic. So it came as a surprise to residents of one of the townships when the police shot at them with rubber bullets, to stop them stoning Somalis. They didn't realise that had they been opportunistic criminals, the police would have used live ammunition. There is also confusion about why foreign Africans are grabbing what possessions they have and queuing up at roadsides to leave the country or seeking protection at police stations. The general impression is that they are terrified of being attacked and possibly killed. But Minister Mthethwa has another theory. He says they are merely "seasonal workers" keen to return home. Foreigners who have been legally living and working here for many years never knew they were seasonal. Nor did they know they were keen to return home, until threatened with death if they didn't. Trust our minister to keep them informed. It is not only the media and the prophets of doom who have been spreading rumours. Western Cape Cosatu leader Tony Ehrenreich says South Africa is sitting on a "xenophobic power-keg", and that the National Intelligence Agency failed to recognise this. But who needs intelligence when the minister himself knows for a fact that reports of xenophobia are simply a "whispering campaign" to discredit the country after the World Cup? Talking of which, Cosatu has also suggested that Athlone Stadium, upgraded to the tune of hundreds of millions and used only twice for practice, by the Uruguays, be deployed as a temporary refuge for alleged victims of xenophobia. It would help to prove that accusations of unnecessary expenditure were nothing but a rumour. johnvscott@mweb.co.za Dire poverty is the root cause of xenophobic attacks Azayo 14 July 2010 Xenophobic attacks are a direct reflection of the state of poverty in the country. We should be concerned about the widespread attacks on so-called foreigners in the Western Cape. These can be blamed on several factors including the ANC-led government. Much as we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, these attacks perpetrated against so-called foreigners, we also condemn the government for its failure to take decisive measures since the outbreak of violence in May 2008, and also for ignoring reports that xenophobic attacks would begin anew after the World Cup. Recently, ANC chairwoman Baleka Mbete reportedly described the fears as baseless and unfounded; a week ago, the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, denied reports that scores of refugees, many from Zimbabwe, were scuttling from Cape Town for fear of being attacked. A spokesperson for Tygerberg Hospital said six people, believed to be victims of xenophobic violence, had been admitted this week. The Black Consciousness Movement has been vigorously advocating the idea of a united Africa, but we also believe that it would be a recipe for anarchy to allow anyone who is African (or any other nationality) to set up home in South Africa without due protocol. Any self-respecting country that promotes the rule of law will ensure that those who migrate across its borders have met the legal qualifications to reside in its country. It is only in South Africa where the government does not seem to realise the need to control the movement of migrants. South Africans were also, at some point in time, afforded sanctuary in other African countries. But their status had to be legally defined before they could be integrated into local communities. Failure to follow the orderly and legal route is a recipe for disaster - as the unfortunate xenophobic attacks proved. It is for this reason, among others, that we call upon the South African government and the Department of Home Affairs in particular to get its act together on the issue of people who apply for asylum in this country. Failure to act in an orderly manner will lead to violence. Let me also point out that the reason for these attacks is not purely xenophobia, but rather competition for resources. The South African population does not have access to enough basic resources to live a dignified existence. So the poorest of the poor, in desperation, vent their frustration on the nearest, most vulnerable target - foreigners without the social and legal support structures to protect them. They loot these foreigners' shops and homes as part of this fight for resources. The attacks are a direct reflection of the state of poverty in the country. Extreme poverty sows disunity, and it is not surprising that things have turned out this way. The ruling party, with its majority vote in the National Assembly, has failed to deliver basic necessities like clean water, decent jobs, health care and shelter to the poor, almost 16 years after democracy. It's unfortunate that the perpetrators of these violent acts are directing their anger at the wrong people (so-called foreigners), instead of targeting the ruling party. For it is the ANC that caters to the rich elite at the expense of the poor majority. The ruling party has become a reactionary party and a stumbling block to the ultimate demise of capitalism and ushering in of a socialist republic. Thole Somdaka Azayo National Spokesperson Cops' hands tied on xeno pamphlet Hlengiwe Mnguni, News24 14 July 2010 Cape Town - Western Cape police say they can do nothing about a xenophobic pamphlet handed out in the province, rallying a community to "fight for what belongs to us" on a specified date - as its source of origin is unknown. "It needs to be a threat from one person to another. We don't know where it comes from," spokesperson Colonel Billy Jones told News24. The pamphlet reads: "Things are getting tough here in South Africa, so I appeal to every residents (sic) ... to join hands together to drive foreigners out of our country. "Truth is our government is no longer able to take care of us," it continues before specifying the date on which “dolls will dance”. Jones said it could be part of a rumour about xenophobia which government has blamed for the recent incidents in which the shops of mostly Somalis were looted and burned in townships around Cape Town. He said the police and army would continue being highly visible in areas considered vulnerable in the province. No incidents of xenophobic violence were reported on Wednesday, Jones said. He urged people to report threats of xenophobic violence to their nearest police station. - News24 Xenophobic Pamphlet Doing the Rounds in Cape Town Newstime 14 July 2010 Western Cape police say they are clueless as to the origin of a pamphlet which urges residents to take up arms against foreigners in their community. The pamphlet says “Things are getting tough here in South Africa, so I appeal to every residents (sic) ... to join hands together to drive foreigners out of our country. Truth is our government is no longer able to take care of us”. There have been myriad reports of looming xenophobic violence in Cape Town but only one incident has occurred so far and the police were swift to put a lid on matters and arrest those responsible. Col Billy Jones of the SAPS said the police cannot yet act on the pamphlet as “It needs to be a threat from one person to another. We don't know where it comes from”. Police and army personnel are on high alert in and around the Cape Peninsula. Premier's team to fight xeno violence AMUKELANI CHAUKE 14 July 2010 Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane has set up a provincial team to deal with threats of xenophobic attacks. Briefing journalists at an executive council meeting yesterday, Mokonyane said the team would act to prevent the rumoured attacks by identifying past offenders. "We have a political committee that includes disaster management, community safety, traffic, local government, emergency services; there is already a team," she said. Mokonyane called for the police to re-open the case against the people who set fire to Mozambican Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave during the 2008 attacks on foreigners. "We also know the hot spots. One of the things we have asked the MEC for community safety [Khabisi Mosukuntu] to deal with is what happened to those people who burnt [Nhamuave]." Mokonyane said justice must be done to deter people from xenophobic violence. "We have programmes. Community development workers and ward councillors are heading community meetings. We have communities calling us and saying they have heard people talking about xenophobic attacks, so we are dealing with that," she said. "All the [World Cup] operation centres of the police and courts have not been dismantled; they are still operational and that on its own is helping. That capacity is not lost . ". we don't actually believe that South Africans are xenophobic," Mokonyane said. "We see [the violence] as a pure act of criminality. "We urge our people to learn from the World Cup that, indeed, we are one. "In the spirit of Nelson Mandela . and us being Pan-Africanist, we can't actually be attacking our own," she said. The visible policing that had ensured a safe World Cup must continue, she said. "We can't be perfect for visitors and not good for ourselves." * Mokonyane defended her administration's R4-million splurge on 4613 tickets for the soccer tournament, saying her executive council took "a correct decision" when deciding to buy them. The decision to purchase the tickets was based on the need for the government to give deserving Gauteng residents who could not afford tickets - such as pupils from poor schools, orphans and amateur football teams - the opportunity to attend matches. She said MECs were given tickets to host and network with the government's "strategic partners", not for their families. Criminals are behind xenophobia Fikile Mbalula 14 July 2010 PROACTIVE: Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula says the government has placed security forces on high alert to deal with elements that seek to perpetuate xenophobia. PHOTO: Alon Skuy Fikile Mbalula Tensions are mainly driven by thugs in areas where there is poverty and unemployment WE HAVE just solidified our presence within the global village by successfully hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup as a continent. The unity displayed by all Africans in their large numbers blowing vuvuzelas from the roof tops in celebration of Africa’s success is immeasurable, and with this a big thank you . Our march towards a democratic state that characterises the latter- day South Africa is premised on our struggles that saw the international community rally behind our cause. We were exiled from our own land and had to seek refuge in foreign lands. Our affinity with the rest of the African continent and the broader democratic world is unmistakable and cannot be questioned. The conceptualisation of the democratic South Africa was premised on the appreciation that South Africa is an integral part of the broader African community and the international family of nations. South Africa’s founding values and principles are underpinned by a human rights culture and principle of mutual coexistence. The role that we continue to play in building a better Africa and a better world, Darfur, Zimbabwe to the Sahrawi Republic, from Northern Ireland to the Middle East is one steeped in the fundamental human rights values that constitute the cornerstone of our democracy. Within the young democracy we live in today we managed to showcase to the world how beautiful the country is through hosting events such as the soccer World Cup, rugby World Cup, the cricket World Cup, World Summit on Sustainable Development, among others . During the (soccer) World Cup, there was a sharp increase in anti- foreigner sentiment spreading from metropolitan cities and surrounding townships to smaller towns and rural areas across SA. This has led to fears about xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals. According to some of the findings by the government, the locus of these tensions is mainly driven by criminal elements in areas where there are high levels of poverty and unemployment. There is also tension between businesses owned by locals and foreign nationals, which spawned an ugly element of criminal involvement, exploitation and manipulation of the situation. The situation with its tensions between the businesses by foreigners and locals has taken a shape of criminality. As it stands, the security agencies have been in constant communications with various people within communities who may identify the kingpins in this regard. We are fully aware that in most cases these acts of criminality are led by criminals and aided by and abetted by locals, particularly the young people – who enjoy the looting and pillaging of foreigners’ businesses. The criminals have understandably been using the xeno-attacks for armed robberies. Whatever the case may be, we are prepared for all these, through deployment of our security agencies. We have through the Inter- Ministerial Committee to ensure continued partnership with the organs of civil society in proactively curbing and averting these threats, as outlined in a multi- faceted and integrated plan: # Proactive facilitation of a societal dialogue. # Extension of the 2010 Fifa World Cup National Joint Committee, to have a quicker investigation, tighter sentencing and law enforcement acting swiftly, speedily and decisively against anyone found to incite violent acts against foreign nationals. # Strict monitoring of proliferation of businesses owned by foreign nationals and lack of regulation thereof. # Review and derive lessons from the May/June 2008 incidents. # Reinforce civic education in society and within the law enforcement agencies. # Development of a government communications strategy, which will aggressively counter and mitigate the risk posed by the unbalanced media reports which instil fear about possible attacks. These are just some of the ways and means to heighten our proactiveness aggressively to provide a safer South Africa. Central to this we need a strong partnership with the society, and we must also stress that the role of the community policing forums is critical in ensuring the above mentioned points are successful. We have placed our security forces on high alert to deal with any element within our communities that seek to perpetuate this heinous crime of xenophobia, which manifests itself in violence and gross intolerance. Our promise to throw the book at those who seek to champion these acts of criminality is no idle threat and our security forces remain ready to use every tool at their disposal within the ambit of the law to protect the lives and properties of every citizen and foreign national living in South Africa. South Africans should learn to understand the role played by African countries in giving us refuge during the time of apartheid. The lessons we should teach ourselves is during the unifying actions of sports we managed to sing the same song. We cannot celebrate Maria Mutola, Nwanku Kanu, Abedi Pele, Emperor Haile Selassie, Patrice Lumumba, Julius Nyerere, yet hate their fellow countrymen and women, our fellow African brothers and sisters. South Africa will never be in the hands of the criminals, we will not allow these dirty elements within our midst to dictate to us on how we should live. We are watching and arrests will be made soon. This has been our commitment before the Fifa World Cup and we still stand by that. The writer is Deputy Minister of Police Welfare state gives rise to xenophobic violence Meshack Mabogoane Business Day 14 July 2010 THE recent rumours about potential xenophobic violence after the World Cup are a puzzling throwback to a third force that bedevilled the 1980s at the height of opposition to apartheid. The evil has reared its head and smacks, as before, of central levers at work. It also raises questions about the role of security agencies and their part in preventing crime and safeguarding law and order. Fears of xenophobic attacks are totally unnecessary. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA), police and army must handle delinquency and serious threats to state security — whether they are suspicions, rumours or reality. Any large-scale violence, including xenophobic violence, is their business and they should pre-emptively and promptly deal with any menace. The head of the police service has already congratulated his troops for victory during the Fifa tournament — much crime was anticipated before the tournament, based on the influx of foreigners and internal experiences. If the police succeeded at this task, surely they can repeat the feat by pre- empting xenophobic crimes. Stories of potential xenophobic threats follow previous attacks in 2008. While the fires from those attacks were still hot, the state hastily gave explanations and solutions. The African National Congress (ANC) made xenophobia a “moral” issue, eschewing interpretations that it was based on material causes, such as jobs and housing, which ignite poor and stressed communities anywhere. No mention was made of the ethnic factor, as happens in conflicts, for example, in Nigeria, in the Balkans, and in SA’s history — among native blacks, white burgers and foreigners. Most unusually, former President Thabo Mbeki interrupted his globetrotting escapades to address the social issue. He held meetings with victims — yet casualties of HIV/AIDS, whose existence and death were denied, still got no attention. Practical results ensued quickly: the speedy issuing of identity documents to foreigners — ready for elections and readier for social grants and citizenship. With Fifa gone, a huge propaganda vacuum exists which, naturally, must be filled. So xenophobia presents a logical sequel to an international spectacular. Now SA must show it “cares” for foreigners and, because of “impending attacks”, strong official exhortations are made to welcome and integrate them — regardless of deteriorating social, economic and health facilities that are reeling under the weight of an exploding population. Again, the NIA is facing allegations of an inability to detect xenophobic threats, outdone by ordinary people, including priests who have questionably intervened on security issues affecting foreigners. Absorbing millions of foreigners into a country that is still relatively poor, and in which more people are increasingly dependent on state grants for basic subsistence, is unpatriotic, dishonest and ridiculous. These foreigners come from countries that squander their resources and deliberately destroy economies — let alone develop them. A genuine regional power would address this. These issues are not moral but material. The ruling regime encourages teenage girls, for example, to have children — for which the state pays child grants of R100bn a year — and this is presented as “human rights” and “welfare”. Now millions of poor foreigners produce babies to receive child grants too, and compete for jobs and houses — the universal causes of real xenophobia. Such welfare programmes will stir real xenophobic attacks, as some of these “human rights” have engendered social degeneration. Many of SA’s far-reaching programmes are imposed by hook — and mainly by crook. Lacking a strong opposition, and with a low-quality, servile and nonrepresentative Parliament, vigilance is vital. Otherwise such things are surreptitiously and speciously thrust down the gullet of an unsuspecting society, at great material and human cost, ultimately aggravating SA’s myriad problems. shacks1956@yahoo.com - Mabogoane is a freelance writer. <>Xenophobia is pure criminality - SACP SACP 13 July 2010 Party says the real enemy is the capitalist system that breeds underdevelopment SACP STATEMENT ON ACTS OF VIOLENCE DIRECTED AT FOREIGN NATIONALS Our country has come to the conclusion of hosting a successful FIFA 2010 World Cup. During this month there has been many positive achievements on the ground within our country. The South African government and the people of SA have united, like never before, to host hundreds of thousands of international guests from the African continent and other parts of the world. The key challenge now will be how to build on the momentum and experience gained. At this stage, after this successful hosting of the World Cup the SACP wishes to strongly condemn the threats and actual acts of violence against foreign nationals. These are no ‘xenophobic' attacks (undesirable as they are as well), but acts of criminality to loot and destabilise our communities to provide cover for these criminals. This criminal element is hell-bent on manipulating some of the real problems and challenges facing our communities. The enemy is not our brothers and sisters from the rest of the continent, but the capitalist system that continues to breeds underdevelopment. We must build on the momentum garnered through the hosting of the World Cup by focusing our collective energies on the challenges we all face as a nation - jobs, transforming health-care and education, rural development, and fighting the scourge of crime and corruption. We call on our structures across the alliance and other progressive organisations, including those in the opposition, to unite and mobilise against these fringe criminal elements in our communities. Our structures must equally take a lead in providing leadership in dealing with genuine service delivery crises, fighting corruption and all other obstacles to bettering the lives of our people. We also call upon all our communities to work together with law enforcement agencies in exposing and dealing with this criminality. Statement issued by the SACP, July 13 2010 The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) has called on South Africans not to put the country to shame with "senseless, misguided violence" which served only to rob people of their lives and property. Sapa 14 July 2010 "The PAC condemns in the strongest possible terms the spectre of new xenophobic attacks on our fellow African foreign nationals," PAC foreign and international affairs secretary Mudini Maivha said in a statement on Tuesday. "There can be no justification for attacks already taking place in some parts of the our country," he said, reminding people that it was only a few days ago that the country united behind Ghana as the only team carrying Africa's hopes at the Fifa World Cup. Maivha said the PAC reiterated its call to the government in December 2007, before the previous outbreak of xenophobic violence, to set up an inter-ministerial committee to devise plans against xenophobia, and mobilise communities to support these programmes. A series of incidents have occurred in the Western Cape, where on Sunday night a number of foreign-owned spaza and container shops in Cape Town and surrounding towns were burned and looted. Some vandalism and attempted looting continued during the day on Monday in Khayelitsha, where police helped Somali shop owners remove their goods. Police said on Tuesday morning, however, that the situation was "calm". However, Methodist Bishop Paul Verryn has since reported received threats against himself and foreign nationals living at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg. Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change's (MDC) spokesperson in South Africa Sibanengi Dube said the party had received more than 200 calls from distressed Zimbabweans fearing xenophobic attacks. Mozambican officials said on Tuesday that they would do everything possible to protect the lives of the more than three million Mozambicans living and working in South Africa. On Monday, President Jacob Zuma said though there had been rumours of planned new xenophobic violence, he was not certain there had been actual threats. He said the government had established a ministerial commission to deal with the situation and people "should not have fears". In May, Gauteng-based academics said foreigners feared a resurgence of xenophobic violence against them after the 2010 World Cup. In 2008, 62 people died and 150 000 were displaced in a wave of xenophobic attacks which started in Gauteng. The South African Communist Party and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union have blamed the latest attacks on criminals and not xenophobia. They have called for action on service delivery problems and social problems in communities. The South African Institute of Race Relations has also warned that there has been little change in the environment that gave rise to the xenophobia attacks of 2008. - Sapa I was threatened - Verryn Sapa 13 July 2010 Bishop Paul Verryn has received threats against himself and foreign nationals living at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg, he said on Tuesday. "There had been some direct threats," the cleric told reporters. Verryn said a man approached him at a traffic light on the corner of Republic and William Nichol roads in northern Johannesburg on Sunday and told him: "We want you to know if it [xenophobic violence] starts, we will be coming to the church." Verryn said it was clear that this was meant as a threat. He had also been told that people plotted, during an event celebrating Youth Day on June 16, to attack his house in Soweto. On Monday night, foreigners at the church said they had been threatened by metro police officers. "The metro police had come [to the church] and said they would be coming for the people," said Verryn, whose church is known to be a haven for homeless foreign nationals. As he left the church to go home, he confronted metro officers sitting in a vehicle outside. The officers told him they were there to clamp down on illegal street trading. Verryn was speaking to the media in Johannesburg alongside Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and several other civil society groups. The MDC's spokesman in South Africa, Sibanengi Dube, said the party had received more than 200 calls from distressed Zimbabweans fearing xenophobic attacks. "Since Sunday, we've been receiving calls... I received 207 calls from members of the party who say they can't go home," said Dube. The calls were from all corners of the country, but most of them came from the Western Cape. "I received calls of individuals who claimed to have been beaten up," said Dube. In the Western Cape, attacks and shop lootings were reported in Daveyton, Cape Town, Philippi, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Pearl East, Wellington, Mbekweni and Klapmuts. Dube expressed "limited faith" in the police. "Scores of youths are reportedly looting and threatening foreigners in full view of police officers," said Dube. He called for foreign nationals fearing attacks to form security groups and not walk around alone. The MDC called on the South African government to set up special courts to deal with xenophobic threats. "[The government] should not wait for blood to be spilled in the townships and squatter camps but must put under lock and key all those making threats," said Dube. "We are advising members to report threats and attacks to the MDC and we will also report the incidents to the police on behalf of the members." Any foreign national in need of help can contact the MDC on 073-137-9175 or 076-323-3723. - Sapa Environment still conducive to xenophobia? Sapa 13 July 2010 There has been little change in the environment that gave rise to the xenophobia attacks of 2008, the SA Institute of Race Relations warned on Tuesday. Spokeswoman Catherine Schulze said the institute was not predicting an outbreak of violence, as there was not enough information to do so. But it was cautioning that the environment that gave rise to the attacks of 2008 was "largely unchanged". "Poverty, unemployment, and incomes indicators have not shifted significantly since 2008, while high levels of crime and violence are an everyday reality in many poor communities. "At the same time, reports of increased threats, some disguised as jokes and idle banter, created an enabling environment for a renewed series of attacks." She said the institute urged the government and the African National Congress to use their leadership positions to change perceptions that many black South Africans harboured towards foreign African immigrants. Senior government figures should make "concerted public statements" condemning xenophobia. The institute's statement followed a series of incidents in the Western Cape, where on Sunday night a number of foreign-owned spaza and container shops in Cape Town and surrounding towns were burned and looted. Some vandalism and attempted looting continued during the day on Monday in Khayelitsha, where police helped Somali shop owners remove their goods. Police said on Tuesday morning however that the situation was "calm". On Monday, President Jacob Zuma said though there had been rumours of planned new xenophobic violence, he was not certain there had been actual threats. He said the government had established a ministerial commission to deal with the situation and people "should not have fears". In May, Gauteng-based academics said foreigners feared a resurgence of xenophobic violence against them after the 2010 World Cup. In 2008, 62 people died and 150 000 were displaced in a wave of xenophobic attacks which started in Gauteng. - Sapa Casual xenophobic threats increasing - SAIRR Catherine Schulze 13 July 2010 Catherine Schulze says anti-immigrant hostility endures The Unit for Risk Analysis at the South African Institute of Race Relations has urged senior leaders in Government to make a series of concerted public statements condemning threats of xenophobic violence. The Institute said that it was receiving information that casual threats and insinuations of violence against foreign African migrants were increasing. An Institute spokesperson, Catherine Schulze, said that it was a frustrating environment, as all the information at hand was anecdotal. It was very difficult to find hard facts on the extent to which the threats were escalating. Schulze said that the Institute was not predicting an outbreak of violence as there was not enough information at hand to make such a prediction. Rather it was cautioning that the environment that gave rise to the attacks of 2008 was largely unchanged. Poverty, unemployment, and incomes indicators had not shifted significantly since 2008, while high levels of crime and violence were an everyday reality in many poor communities. At the same time, reports of increased threats, some disguised as jokes and idle banter, created an enabling environment for a renewed series of attacks. Schulze said there was no point in the Government's denying the presence of xenophobic prejudice in the country as attacks had continued to occur since 2008, although not on the same scale as those of that year. The Institute had previously been told that the police were unable to devote resources to determining the exact extent of these attacks. The Institute now urged the Government and the ANC to use their leadership positions in the country to change the perceptions that many black South Africans harboured towards foreign African immigrants. The Institute described this discrimination as possibly the most prevalent form of overt racism in the country. In the main, this prejudice appeared to revolve around the view that foreign Africans ‘stole' jobs, services, and even women that should belong to South Africans. Schulze said that on balance the presence of migrants had a positive economic impact on the countries that received them. Migrants introduced new skills and levels of entrepreneurship, formed new consumer markets, and contributed to tax revenue through VAT and in some cases even income and company taxation. Statement issued by Catherine Schulze, Unit for Risk Analysis, South African Institute of Race Relations, July 13 2010 No xenophobic outbreaks in Durban city townships SABC 12 July 2010 Police in Durban have strongly condemned the perpetuation of rumours of xenophobic threats against foreign nationals in some of the city's townships. This follows reports that threats are escalating in informal settlements in Chatsworth, KwaNdengezi and Dassenhoek outside Durban. Police spokesperson Vincent Mdunge says no incidents have been reported at any of their police stations. In Cape Town, police have arrested seven people for allegedly looting businesses owned by foreigners in Filippi, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and Gugulethu. Earlier, Western Cape Disaster Management said that there had been sporadic incidents of violence against foreigners in Cape Town. Refugee rights group PASSOP has commended Cape Town police for their swift arrests. However Cosatu has called on the country's law enforcement agencies to respond more decisively to the growing threat of xenophobic attacks to ensure the safety of the people. There are concerns of a possible recurrence of the violence that left 62 people dead and 150 000 homeless in 2008. Dumisani Mthalane of the South African National Civic Organisation has called on government to convene a summit to discuss issues related to xenophobia. Foreigners are 'scapegoats Lavern De Vries and Ivor Powell 13 July 2010 A failure of leadership and local government structures has created a fertile ground for the breeding of xenophobic violence in the Cape's informal settlements. While a prompt show of force by law enforcement authorities - with the hardcore back-up of military armoured vehicles in risk areas such as Du Noon, Khayelitsha and Masiphumelele - appears to have headed off a threatened cycle of violence that erupted at the weekend, few think the problem is going to go away. At the conclusion of the World Cup on Sunday, a sudden spike in attacks on foreigners in informal settlements around the Cape peninsula raised fears that a new cycle of xenophobic violence - like the conflagration that raged in 2008, when more than 60 people were killed - was about to be unleashed. Nearly a dozen incidents of violence against foreigners - most of them Somali shopkeepers - were recorded between Sunday, the day of the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, and yesterday morning. After the weekend's attacks, scores of Somalis have taken refuge in police stations and community halls around the Cape. Zimbabweans continued to flee for their lives from informal settlements to congregate at makeshift places of refuge around highway truckstops and filling stations on the N1, seeking transport back to their country. In their official responses, police dismissed the sudden spike in xenophobic violence as unconnected crimes. However, the attacks have come in the midst of a whispering campaign in townships and informal settlements around the country, warning foreigners to leave South Africa before the end of the World Cup - or face the consequences. In at least one instance, in Blikkiesdorp, this threat was conveyed via a meeting of the local community apparently convened by local leaders. But in most cases the threat of violence has been voiced anonymously in the impersonal environment of taxis, trains and shebeens. According to social conflict analyst Stef Snel, the tension can be traced back to basic economic circumstances and to a competition by communities for scarce resources. "There isn't enough to go around, it is that simple - not enough housing, not enough jobs, not enough food," Snel said. "And most of what there is comes in the form of government handouts, to be administered by often corrupt and unaccountable councillors and civic officials. "Control over these resources is not only power, it is also profit. And the problem is that everything - from positions on housing lists to job creation programmes to food distribution initiatives - gets sold, and rather than alleviating the social problems, often exacerbates them. "Then, when the community loses patience, the foreigners get blamed. They are the convenient scapegoats," he said. The problem is not new. After the 2008 xenophobic attacks, the focus fell particularly on two elements in the social dynamic as breeding grounds for xenophobic violence: migrant workers at informal settlements; and a largely opportunistic leadership that had established itself in the ANC's onetime struggle alliance partner, the SA National Civics Organisation (Sanco). In 2008, several Sanco leaders overtly supported the drive to expel foreigners from the country, and, in some cases were suspected of being behind the violence directed against them. Chris Stali, Sanco provincial secretary, said threats against foreigners reflected "political immaturity and a lack of understanding of the issues". "We have a new leadership now. The old leadership stole services and projects and when the community asked about jobs, they said they must ask the foreigners. Our leadership is different, we don't have our own political and financial interests." But the new Sanco leadership is not having it all its own way. In areas such as Du Noon, the former Sanco leadership - though suspended by Sanco nationally, and though last elected in 1997 (ostensibly for a single year term) - is refusing to stand down. The chairperson of the "other" Sanco - who has also been named as fomenting xenophobic violence in the area - continues to administer a feeding programme in the area, which one youth league leader in the area said had never fed the hungry of Du Noon. The youth leader, wanting to remain anonymous for fear of her safety, said the suspended Sanco leadership also continued to control the provision of RDP housing in the area. * This article was originally published on page 9 of Cape Argus on July 13, 2010 POLICE BLAME CRIMINALS:Xeno fears as shops looted CARYN DOLLEY, YUSUF MOOLlA, SAPA 13 July 2010 Foreign shopkeepers in several of Cape Town's townships and surrounding towns relived the horror attacks of 2008 yesterday, as their businesses were targeted and looted. Many sought refuge at police stations. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu flew to Cape Town to assess the situation. Sisulu warned that the authorities would deal harshly with "opportunistic criminals". "There is no way we will allow them to spread fear and crime. We are working very hard to find them and prosecute them," she said. In Durban, rumours that some foreigners were chased out of KwaMashu were dismissed by police as a possible "smear" aimed at damaging the country's image post-World Cup. Police confirmed there were no reports of attacks. Durban residents were saying "no" to xenophobic threats. Mthethwa's spokesman, Zweli Mnisi, said: "There were calls that we would not build World Cup stadiums and that the tournament would be a failure. We were threatened that violence would take place during the World Cup, but the country has passed with flying colours and the police feel this is just another rumour." The police's main concern was criminals damaging property, attacking and killing people and then hiding behind xenophobia, Mnisi said. "These are actions with criminal intent, not xenophobia." Some foreigners ran informal businesses and kept large amounts of cash. "Because of this they become (criminal) targets." The government would continue to use the special courts commissioned for the World Cup, to ensure quick justice, he said. Mnisi told The Mercury's sister newspaper the Cape Times that Mthethwa had visited Mbekweni in Paarl and had established that criminals "using xenophobia as a guise" were behind the lootings. KZN Refugee Council spokesman Baruti Amisi said there were no further reports of foreigners fleeing, as was the case last week, when Zimbabwean and Mozambican citizens left the Bottlebrush informal settlement in Chatsworth, as well as in KwaNdenqezi and Dassenhoek. In Khayelitsha, Cape Town, yesterday, police officers fired rubber bullets at residents after mostly Somali shop owners were threatened and some businesses were ransacked. The shopkeepers, with their belongings crammed into bakkies, were escorted by heavily armed officers to the local police station. Residents then trashed their empty shops. Shopkeeper Ali Mohamed Husein said: "These people called us 'makwerekwere' and said we must go home. They said no one from another land is going to stay here. They got into my shop and took away my stuff. In 2008 (during the initial outbreak of xenophobic violence in the Western Cape) I was forced out of Wesbank. Now I'm being forced from here. "There is fighting in Somalia, but I'll rather go back there." Another store owner, Abduragman Alikar, said his shop had been "torn down". "They took everything and I don't have a shop any more. I must stay at the police station now." Police officers stood guard and sometimes aimed their guns at residents who started forming groups around a Somali-run store. "I'm scared they're going to hurt me. I'm not feeling okay. I was told that if I don't leave here I will be attacked," a trembling Abdulla Muhamed, 19, said while standing outside his friend's shop, which residents had tried to loot earlier. They were dispersed by police who fired rubber bullets. Shop owner Muhammed Husein had fled his business after being threatened earlier and his worried friends milled outside later. "Muhammed, are you okay? Where are you?" a friend could be heard saying as he left a message on Husein's phone. Another friend arranged for a bakkie into which his goods were piled. When the vehicle was driven to the nearby police station, officers clung on to the back of it clutching their guns. Husein later returned and helped clear his possessions. "These people think work is difficult. But I know how to make business. If they let me back, I'll come," he said as he and policemen packed crates of meat, bread and juice on to the bakkie. As Husein left under police escort, a number of his neighbours waved sadly. "This is so unfair. I don't know why my people are doing this," a woman muttered. As soon as police and the Somalis left, a group of residents ran to the locked and nearly bare shop. They tore down the front walls made of corrugated iron, ripped the locked security gate off and even stole the door. Young men then entered with hammers and damaged the interior. Children stole potatoes and scattered coffee granules on the floor. In picturesque Franschhoek, police station spokeswoman Marize Papier said all foreign-owned stores in two informal settlements there had been closed. Cases of looting were also reported to police in Paarl, Klapmuts and Nyanga. Police and soldiers were deployed. There have been rumours that xenophobic violence is likely in the aftermath of the World Cup and that foreigners have been fleeing the Western Cape. Mthethwa last week angrily dismissed the speculation. He said an investigation had shown that those leaving were foreign migrant workers returning home. He accused politicians who had raised the spectre of violence of being "peddlers of fear". Police warning as foreigners pack bags NTOKOZO MFUSI The Mercury 12 July A NUMBER of foreigners have begun abandoning informal settlements in Durban as threats of xenophobic attacks after the World Cup gain momentum. Falakhe Mhlongo, a community leader at the Bottlebrush informal settlement in Chatsworth, said foreigners, mostly from Zimbabwe and Mozambique, had left the area over the past week. "With the World Cup ending, people have left because they are scared," he said. There were also reports of a number of foreigners leaving settlements in KwaNdengezi and Dassenhoek. Zimbabwean community leader Shepherd Zvavanhu said people had left the city, fearing victimisation. Although authorities have said the threats are just rumours, xenophobic comments and threats were becoming more common on Facebook. Refugee organisations and political groups said the threats had been circulating since 2009, but had intensified in the past two months. KZN Refugee Council chairman Baruti Amisi said: "These rumours are not new. "After the 2008 xenophobic attacks, some locals have been telling foreigners to leave before the end of the World Cup because there will be large-scale attacks." Amisi said no one knew the source of the threats, but they were still being taken seriously. "People are scared and some have packed their things and gone back to their countries, but what about those who have no home and the only home they have is this country? "What is to happen to them?" There were also reports of Zimbabweans leaving informal settlements in the Western Cape last week. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa's spokesman, Zweli Mnisi, said the government was aware of the rumours, which were being investigated. "We appeal to locals and foreigners to please report anything that they know (about the threats) to their local police so we can swiftly deal with the culprits." Mnisi said they would adopt a harsh stance against people caught burning homes and looting, and their approach to crime would be swift as it was during the World Cup. Mob ransacks Somali-owned shop Mpumi Kiva 12 July 2010 A Somali-owned shop has been ransacked just metres away from where the National Police Commissioner was making an anti-xenophobia speech. While Nathi Mthethwa told the Khayelitsha community that people who attacked foreigners risked the full might of the law, a crowd of about 200 people was looting a shop nearby. When the Daily Voice arrived at the scene, shopkeeper Deego Mohamed was frantically packing what was left of his stock into a car. Mohamed said the mob entered his shop shortly after 1pm on Friday and started helping themselves. "One of them was armed with a gun and he told me to shut up while others were taking the groceries," he said. Police spokeswoman Nosiphiwo Mtengwana said another shop in the area hurriedly packed up as well after the news of the first attack spread. However, locals who attended Mthethwa's meeting vowed to protect foreigners living amongst them. Community leader Michael Hamco told the Daily Voice that those who attack foreigners are nothing but thugs. "These are just criminals who roam the street and have nothing to do," he said. "We will protect the foreign nationals. We don't want anyone who has the intention of attacking the foreigners living here with us." A fired-up Mthethwa told the crowd of about 500 people, which included Somalis, that criminals considering attacking foreigners would face the full might of the law. "The police will take these things very seriously," he vowed. "The people who are behind this are criminals." - Daily Voice They should all leave and f*** off' Shain Germaner 12 July 2010 A meeting that was meant to unite residents of the Ramaphosa informal settlement turned ugly last night when locals voiced their hatred of foreigners. "Why should I suffer in my own country? They should all leave and f*** off," a man screamed into the microphone. The thousand-strong audience cheered in response. But this was just one of dozens of hateful comments, many suggesting that unless the government removes the foreigners, violence could erupt. The meeting, led by the International Community Unifiers (ICU), community leaders and local government, was interrupted constantly by residents' stories of their terrible encounters with foreigners. A member of the audience described his experience when he was robbed at gunpoint. It was when ICU president Dennis Mpangane took the stage to speak to the crowd that the audience turned ugly. He began by mentioning that he was not originally from South Africa, to which the audience responded with hundreds of shouts of "hamba" and "Go home". Mpangane, unable to be heard over the screams of the crowd, then chose not to speak for the rest of the meeting. A local priest, Reverend Brian Lehoko, and a police superintendent, known only as Mathebula, managed to calm the audience after the interruption. Mathebula called on the residents to report any violent crimes, especially xenophobic attacks, to the police as soon as possible. "The police will be here day and night," he added. The meeting also addressed service delivery issues that resulted in a protest earlier this year, and it was during these complaints that residents began to speak against xenophobia. "We had two agendas today: service delivery and xenophobia," announced a resident, "but service delivery projects will be put on hold if (xenophobic violence) happens." The community was again promised by ward councillor Craig Bennetts and representatives from the Department of Housing that plans to tackle the road, sewerage and electricity issues were "on the move". After the meeting, when the crowd dispersed, Mpangane said: "The meeting went as well as it could have. The community were angry about service delivery and I couldn't speak, but they do understand the (xenophobia) situation." Ramaphosa residents were one of the centres of violence two years ago. Somali shopkeeper Abdi Ismael has lived in Ramaphosa for four years, and was greatly affected by the xenophobic violence in 2008. "I had three shops," he said, "but I had to leave (Ramaphosa) when the attacks started. When I returned (several months later), they had all been looted and vandalised." Ismael has been threatened - again. "Come the end of the World Cup, you'll be leaving," warned a client of his. "Others have told me 'this shop will be ours'," said Ismael. "Of course I'm worried, but the community will try its best to be on top of the situation. I'm just hoping the words won't escalate into violence." * This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on July 12, 2010 Foreigners seek refuge at police stations Sapa 12 July 2010 A heavy police and military presence has been deployed in Western Cape townships following sporadic xenophobic violence, police said on Monday. Provincial authorities said scores of foreigners had sought refuge at police stations in the region. Police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk said that on Sunday night there were "sporadic incidents of looting" at shops belonging to foreigners. Areas where this occurred included Nyanga, Philippi East and Khayelitsha on the Cape Flats, Wellington, Paarl East, Mbekweni (a Paarl township), Franschhoek and Klapmuts. "Police responded and a heavy police contingency was deployed in conjunction with Metro Police and SANDF [the defence force] in all these areas," Van Wyk said. He said seven men, aged between 19 and 30, had been arrested in the Nyanga area. They were charged with public violence and would appear in the Phillipi Magistrates' Court on Monday. "SAPS [the police] will continue to deploy in high numbers to maintain law and order in the mentioned areas," he said. "Tranquillity has been restored and no further reports of violence have been reported." Spokeswoman for provincial disaster management Daniella Ebenezer said earlier that 70 foreigners had sought refuge overnight at Mbekweni police station in Paarl and 22 at Wellington. There were smaller numbers at police stations in Franschhoek, and Langa and Harare on the Cape Flats. They had gone to the stations "mainly because they were fearful", but in some instances following attacks on shops. Ebenezer said there were "sporadic" attacks on shops on Saturday in the region, and "some incidents of looting" on Sunday. No-one had been seriously injured. She said that according to reports from police, on Sunday spaza shops and containers also used as shops were "damaged" in Mbekweni, Paarl East, Wellington and Nyanga. The province and municipalities were ready with contingency plans, she said. Die Burger newspaper reported on Monday that shortly before midnight on Sunday, police advised foreigners, mainly Somalis, to leave the Cape Flats township of Nyanga, and escorted numbers of them out of the area. The newspaper carried a photograph of Somali spaza shops in flames in Philippi, also on the Cape Flats. - Sapa We condemn against this alarmist phobia Sapa 9 July 2010 High-ranking politicans had become "peddlers of fear" over xenophobia, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Friday. "We condemn and caution against this alarmist phobia by those who fuel these rumours," he said in what his ministry distributed as the text of a speech at a xenophobia summit in Khayelitsha. "These are the people who prior to the 2010 Fifa World Cup embarked on the infamous smear campaign, saying there will be bloodbath in this country and that crime is spiralling out of control," he said. "It becomes such a pity when those who claim to be leaders are supposed to discharge leadership and guidance to project a common cause, end up being the peddlers of fear and anxiety." The minister's comments were aimed at "leaders who hold high positions in government and in society", his ministry said. On Thursday Mthethwa dismissed as "hysteria" reports that foreigners were fleeing the Western Cape in anticipation of a backlash again them after the tournament. He said an investigation showed that the scores of foreigners leaving the city in the past few days were seasonal workers returning home. Head of the Western Cape's local government department Hildegarde Fast told reporters on Friday morning that police had assessed the threat of xenophobic violence in the province as "low". "In their view there is a low level of threat," said Fast. She would not indicate whether there had been a relative rise or decrease in the level of the risk in recent weeks as South Africa hosted the world's biggest sporting event. Fast said Western Cape authorities had a reliable monitoring system and passed reports of any risk of community conflict to the police to investigate. Mediators were also sent in to defuse tension, which generally arose from a battle for scarce resources. "We are responding to the fact that there are increased reports. The province feels the main focus is on preventing anything from happening," she said. "If one feels the level of threat is rising in a particular community, the police are committed to immediately deploying extra resources to have quite a visible presence." The head of disaster management in Cape Town, Greg Pillay, said the city could not afford a repeat of the 2008 outbreak of xenophobia that made headlines around the world. The crisis claimed 70 lives countrywide and cost Cape Town authorities some R200 million of which most was spent on providing shelter for foreigners. "We learnt many lessons from 2008 and the emphasis definitely is really on pro-active actions; what can we do to reduce the risk.... From the city's side, we also have an early warning system," he said. Fast said every disaster management district in the province had identified places of safety where foreigners under threat could be accommodated. "That is the absolute fall-back position." Rumours of a post world cup outbreak of xenophobia have persisted since late May when a group of eminent global leaders called the "Elders" warned foreigners might be targeted after the event as jobs start becoming scarcer. Former Ireland president Mary Robinson, a member of the group, said at the time: "We are more worried after the world cup, the possibilities of xenophobia... construction jobs fall away and people, especially from Zimbabwe, will be looking for jobs." But Fast said authorities saw no special reason why the risk of xenophobia would be greater after the tournament, and could not pinpoint the cause of rumours of imminent attacks. "I would just be speculating if I said why there would be more rumours now than before the world cup," she told reporters. - Sapa South Africa Braces for New Attacks on Immigrants By BARRY BEARAK NY Times 9 July 2010 JOHANNESBURG — The World Cup ends Sunday, and South Africa, like some cartoon figure with an angel above one shoulder and the devil atop the other, will revel in its successful hosting of the tournament while bracing for possible violence aimed at the impoverished immigrants in its midst. For months, threats have coursed through virtually every township and squatter camp, with warnings that once the final whistle blows, the tourists leave and the world looks away, vuvuzelas and banners will be replaced by torches and panga knives as attacks begin against Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and others. “They tell us that by Sunday we must go or we will see blood, plenty blood,” said Precious Ncube, 25, a Zimbabwean living in a township near Pretoria. Many in the government regard these threats as rumors inflated into hysteria through repetition. Nevertheless, security forces are on “high alert,” Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said last week. The military has already demonstrated its muscle in some presumed hot spots. Human rights groups and the Nelson Mandela Foundation have issued pleas for calm. On Friday, as some immigrants fled the country, the powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions, or Cosatu, urged the government to open stadiums for people who might need havens, saying, “Surely, given the billions of rands we just spent on the World Cup, where we did not spare any expense, we cannot now risk people’s lives.” There is good reason for apprehension. During two weeks in May 2008, at least 60 people, mostly from nearby African nations, were killed by mobs. The violence, stomped out in one place only to reappear in others, occurred in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and elsewhere. About 35,000 people were hounded from their homes. These paroxysms of burning and looting were called “xenophobic riots,” and the defining image, published throughout the world, was that of a Mozambican man in the final moments of his life after being set ablaze. The government was slow to intervene. Thabo Mbeki, then the president, spoke out only belatedly. Thousands of the uprooted slept on the floors of police stations, churches and community halls. South African volunteers, appalled by the attacks, fed the hungry and organized shelters. Fungai Makota, a 36-year-old Zimbabwean woman who owns a tiny grocery in a Johannesburg township, remembered being chased from her shop in 2008. Her entire inventory was looted, and her husband, a Mozambican, suffered serious head wounds after a furious pummeling. Like so many others, she is trying to figure out why these threats have resurfaced now and how much danger she is in. Should she stay or go, continue to sell her groceries or hide them? “So many people tell me, ‘You must return where you came from; your time in South Africa is up,’ ” Ms. Makota said. “But I have lived here eight years. My life is here now.” During the past month, this country has shown its best side to the world. Leaders from both government and business have declared that South Africa has successfully “rebranded” itself, recasting an image tarnished by AIDS, poverty and corruption into one of geniality, prosperity and competence. Part of the nation’s charm has been its spirit of pan-African brotherhood. When South Africa’s team was eliminated from the World Cup, loyalties turned in lockstep to Ghana, the only team from the continent to advance. But many citizens here, particularly the poor who cobble their hovels from rusty metal and scrap wood, resent the estimated five million foreigners who have crossed the border looking for work in Africa’s largest economy. About a third of this nation’s workers are unemployed, and immigrants are commonly blamed for taking their jobs or robbing their homes. “These foreigners have no IDs, no papers, and yet they get the jobs,” said Ephraim Magoele, 26, an unemployed South African. “They are willing to work for 15 rand a day,” about $2. “When I need money, I have to call my mother and ask her for some money from her pension. Why should this be?” Such resentment is easy to heat into hatred — and easy to exploit. The Forced Migration Studies Program at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, which has examined the nation’s continuing xenophobic impulses, concludes that local political leaders often instigate the violence as a means to advance personal agendas. Business owners sometimes support it to wipe out competition. Looters certainly profit. Most South Africans deplored the 2008 attacks. In fact, many in the shack settlements defended their foreign neighbors or offered places to hide. Even now, it is hard to find people who say they will take part in a purge of immigrants — but not so hard to find those who would support it. “It is up to the foreigners whether we are required to beat them or kill them; whatever, they must go,” said Johannes Thabompooa, 41, who claimed he lost his job four years ago and had not worked since. The timing of the threatened attacks is decidedly bizarre, as if the perpetrators consider it appropriate to kill foreigners, but wrong to interfere with the World Cup in doing so. In an editorial, the South African newspaper The Mail and Guardian called that kind of thinking a “calculated sort of pseudopatriotism.” The local news media’s persistent reporting of the threats has added to the fear. On Thursday, prominence was given to an episode near Cape Town in which a Zimbabwean man, Reason Wandi, was thrown from a train. He said his attackers condemned him as a foreigner as they opened the door. In many settlements, there is now an expectation of violence, and news of one outbreak may well become the spark for others. There is always plenty of tinder amid the close quarters — disputes about housing and crime, about water and toilets, about winnings in a card game, and about who sleeps with whom. During any unrest, foreign shopkeepers are almost reflexively singled out. Shahid Butt, a Pakistani, runs the Vuwani Corner, a small but busy grocery in Diepsloot, a township north of Johannesburg. His store was looted in 2008 and again six months later in a second round of attacks. Weeks ago, he stopped replenishing his inventory, and said that he intended to remove merchandise during the weekend as a precaution. “Some guys come in here talking nonsense and say, ‘We will show you after the World Cup,’ ” Mr. Butt said defiantly, shaking his head. “Show me what?” He put an apple down on the counter. “If you want to eat this food, you have to grab it with your hand,” he said as a line of customers waited. “This apple will not jump into your mouth. I came here nine years ago and I have a business. Why don’t the local people have a business? Because you can’t get anything if you sit at home.” Tackle xenophobia now Sunday Times Editorial 11 July 2010 Sunday Times Editorial : The assertion by minister of police Nathi Mthethwa that scores of foreigners who fled Cape Town this week are mere seasonal workers and not victims of xenophobic threats is unfortunate. Current Font Size: Related Articles * Terrified fugitives on the run again He is chairman of the interministerial committee on xenophobia, and the statement just shows how out of touch that committee is with reality . Not only has it undermined what appears to be genuine fears of another xenophobic explosion, but the statement gives the impression of a public representative who does not take the dilemma of these potential victims seriously. South Africa cannot afford a repeat of the xenophobic mayhem it witnessed two years ago when violence against foreign nationals turned this country and its people into an uncivilised lot. It was partly due to the government's sluggish response that the violence reached such heinous proportions at the time. It is rather dubious that Mthethwa and his cabinet colleagues also blame the media for spreading the rumour. For the record, this rumour first originated with, among others, the ANC, of which Mthethwa is a leader, which devoted some considerable time - at its last national executive committee meeting - to discussing the issue. Rather than shift the goalposts, the interministerial committee must begin to address the underlying causes of xenophobia. This must include addressing the plight of the poor masses who have yet to reap any benefits of freedom. Freedom will forever remain elusive as long as they continue to witness the rich getting richer while their situation is rapidly deteriorating. www.sundaytribune.co.za Khayelitsha attacks 'not xenophobic Sapa 10 July 2010 A foreign national was shot dead and two others were wounded in a shooting incident on Saturday in Khayelitsha near Cape Town, Western Cape police said. However, Captain Frederick van Wyk said the incident was not a xenophobic attack. He said the three foreigners, who are all shop owners, were on their way from Khayelitsha to buy stock at Philippi Cash and Carry when they were hijacked at a traffic light. The three suspects drove the bakkie to Sweethome Farms and robbed them of an undisclosed amount of money before shooting them. One of them was killed instantly while the two others who were wounded were taken to hospital. Van Wyk said police were investigating a case of murder, attempted murder and hijacking. "This is regarded as a crime incident and cannot be attributed to violence at a certain foreign national," he said. - Sapa Terrified fugitives on the run again: They fled turmoil and poverty - now they flee xenophobia PHILANI NOMBEMB 11 July 2010 Zimbabweans who fled political turmoil and poverty at home are returning to their country in droves - terrified of another outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa. quote 'I had no option but to leave. It is like jumping from one frying pan into another' quote Foster Baloyi, 26, who has worked on a farm in Groblersdal for nine years, was camped yesterday on the side of the road at the Musina border. He had spent the past three days there with his eight-month-old daughter, wife and three brothers in an old bakkie loaded with belongings - with no money or petrol to get to Zimbabwe. "We don't want to take chances with our lives. The community said they will burn us if we don't go. We just packed our things and left," he said. The family has been surviving on oranges. Hunched dispiritedly on suitcases and piles of bedding, people camped on the N1 highway outside Cape Town this week, hoping to hitch truck rides to Johannesburg. Refugees, workers and NGOs fear more xenophobic attacks after the World Cup in a repeat of the 2008 flare-up that claimed more than 60 lives and left thousands displaced in refugee camps. The minister of police, Nathi Mthethwa, said security agencies were on high alert, but this week criticised high-ranking politicians and rumours for fuelling the "hysteria". Mthethwa told NGOs and residents of Khayelitsha on Friday: "These are the people who prior to the 2010 Fifa World Cup embarked on the infamous smear campaign, saying there will be a bloodbath in this country and that crime is spiralling out of control." The minister said foreigners leaving Cape Town were just "seasonal workers". But as he spoke, armed thugs robbed a nearby Somali shop, which was then looted. Earlier this week, Reason Wandi, 27, a Zimbabwean, was thrown off a moving train by a crowd that threatened foreigners. The SA Council of Churches has set up a hotline to help victims of xenophobic attacks. Mthethwa's words were cold comfort to Alexander Ncube, 30, who boarded a packed train with his wife and two children on Thursday, he said, to save their lives. Families arrived at the Cape Town station at 5am carrying television sets, refrigerators, chairs and carpets - jostling to secure R250 third-class tickets on the Shosholoza Meyl to Johannesburg. Ncube resigned as a waiter at the V&A Waterfront after living in Philippi on the Cape Flats for four years. "I was not a seasonal worker. My landlord said he couldn't risk his house being destroyed by the community if I stayed longer. He was told at a meeting not to take rent money from foreigners any more because they are supposed to leave after the World Cup," Ncube said tearfully. "He said the community would organise people going from door to door checking people's identity documents. I had no option but to leave. It is like jumping from one frying pan into another. I appreciate what my landlord did. He saved my life." The train carriage was packed and stuffy. The mood inside was sombre during the 26-hour trip as parents fed wailing children dry bread. Princess Phiri, 28, a mother of two, from a township near Muizenberg, was displaced in the 2008 violence. "I am not a seasonal worker. I operated a spaza shop with my husband in the township. Due to growing threats we had to abandon the shop, sell all the stock and leave." She slept in a stationary train at the station on Wednesday to secure tickets, having left behind all her furniture. "I think these threats are serious and the situation will be worse than the previous one. Community members are threatening to follow us to the churches if we get refuge there." Elijah Dhliwayo, 23, a construction worker, lived in Capricorn Village in Muizenberg. Also not a seasonal worker, he was intimidated by locals. "I collected everything that I had and just left." Zimbabwean activist Gabriel Shumba and director of Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (Zef) said he sent a letter to Mthethwa as early as June 3, urging him to take action to protect foreigners. He said Zef had received several reports from Zimbabwean nationals, who had been warned to leave South Africa after the World Cup. ''In some instances, they have been issued with deadlines to leave South Africa or face xenophobic attacks," he wrote. In Durban on Friday, a 27-year-old Zimbabwean plumber packed up his possessions and waited to take a bus home, via Johannesburg. ''I am scared. They told us, 'We are going to burn you.' Even when I was packing my things, they told me it was good, and that I must go," he said. On Friday, the SA Defence Force troops were out in force in Johannesburg's Diepsloot. The soldiers were deployed as part of the 2010 World Cup security plan. They searched taverns and streets. Department of Defence spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said the soldiers were deployed around the country for crime prevention during the World Cup, and not to combat xenophobia. Ncube, who once worked as a barman at the Sun International Hotel in Harare, said: "These are not empty threats. We've got a feeling that this will be much more dangerous than the last (round of xenophobic violence). We are really, really shivering about it," he said. ýNcube's surname has been changed at his request to protect his family in Zimbabwe. - Additional reporting by Monica Laganparsad and Bongani Mdakane nombembepsundaytimes.co.za Threat of xenophobia low in Cape Sapa 9 July 2010 Police have assessed the threat of xenophobic violence in the Western Cape as "low", a senior provincial official said on Friday as government sought to quell fears of attacks on foreigners after the World Cup. "In their view there is a low level of threat," said Hildegarde Fast from the province's department of local government. Fast would not indicate whether there had been a relative rise or decrease in the level of the risk in recent weeks as South Africa hosted the world's biggest sporting event. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Thursday dismissed rumours that foreigners were fleeing Cape Town in anticipation of a backlash again them after the tournament as "hysteria". He said an investigation had found that the scores of foreigners leaving the city in the past few days were seasonal workers returning home. - Sapa We condemn against this alarmist phobia Sapa 9 July 2010 High-ranking politicans had become "peddlers of fear" over xenophobia, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Friday. "We condemn and caution against this alarmist phobia by those who fuel these rumours," he said in what his ministry distributed as the text of a speech at a xenophobia summit in Khayelitsha. "These are the people who prior to the 2010 Fifa World Cup embarked on the infamous smear campaign, saying there will be bloodbath in this country and that crime is spiralling out of control," he said. "It becomes such a pity when those who claim to be leaders are supposed to discharge leadership and guidance to project a common cause, end up being the peddlers of fear and anxiety." The minister's comments were aimed at "leaders who hold high positions in government and in society", his ministry said. On Thursday Mthethwa dismissed as "hysteria" reports that foreigners were fleeing the Western Cape in anticipation of a backlash again them after the tournament. He said an investigation showed that the scores of foreigners leaving the city in the past few days were seasonal workers returning home. Head of the Western Cape's local government department Hildegarde Fast told reporters on Friday morning that police had assessed the threat of xenophobic violence in the province as "low". "In their view there is a low level of threat," said Fast. She would not indicate whether there had been a relative rise or decrease in the level of the risk in recent weeks as South Africa hosted the world's biggest sporting event. Fast said Western Cape authorities had a reliable monitoring system and passed reports of any risk of community conflict to the police to investigate. Mediators were also sent in to defuse tension, which generally arose from a battle for scarce resources. "We are responding to the fact that there are increased reports. The province feels the main focus is on preventing anything from happening," she said. "If one feels the level of threat is rising in a particular community, the police are committed to immediately deploying extra resources to have quite a visible presence." The head of disaster management in Cape Town, Greg Pillay, said the city could not afford a repeat of the 2008 outbreak of xenophobia that made headlines around the world. The crisis claimed 70 lives countrywide and cost Cape Town authorities some R200 million of which most was spent on providing shelter for foreigners. "We learnt many lessons from 2008 and the emphasis definitely is really on pro-active actions; what can we do to reduce the risk.... From the city's side, we also have an early warning system," he said. Fast said every disaster management district in the province had identified places of safety where foreigners under threat could be accommodated. "That is the absolute fall-back position." Rumours of a post world cup outbreak of xenophobia have persisted since late May when a group of eminent global leaders called the "Elders" warned foreigners might be targeted after the event as jobs start becoming scarcer. Former Ireland president Mary Robinson, a member of the group, said at the time: "We are more worried after the world cup, the possibilities of xenophobia... construction jobs fall away and people, especially from Zimbabwe, will be looking for jobs." But Fast said authorities saw no special reason why the risk of xenophobia would be greater after the tournament, and could not pinpoint the cause of rumours of imminent attacks. "I would just be speculating if I said why there would be more rumours now than before the world cup," she told reporters. - Sapa Time and date set for Cape violence Saturday Star 10 July 2010 While police and senior politicians have dismissed rumours that xenophobia is brewing in several Cape communities, those on the ground believe there is a very real threat of attacks. In Masiphumelele, an informal settlement near Cape Town's Noordhoek, a time and date has even been set - at 3am on July 12, after the World Cup final. John Thomas, a local pastor, said it had gone "way beyond rumours - the threats are very real". In 2008, thousands of foreigners fled Masiphumelele in the wake of attacks, but Thomas said that this time, people wouldn't run so easily. "We may end up with counter-violence, and I think there could be casualties on both sides." On Thursday night, about 400 residents gathered in the Masiphumelele community hall and demanded to meet local white employers to tell them not to employ foreigners for low wages. The majority also said they wanted all foreigners out of Masiphumelele. Lutz van Dijk, director of Hokisa, a home for children with HIV and Aids in Masiphumelele, said: "A majority of the young people made their point clear: they want all foreigners out of Masi. Most of the older ones, and even those who spoke out against xenophobia, were united in their anger against 'white employers' who give the few jobs to 'the Zimbabweans and Malawians' for bad wages." They demanded a meeting with the "white employers" from Fish Hoek. Ward councillor Felicity Purchase said locals wanted "illegal foreigners in the country" to be locked up or deported. They wanted representatives from the national government to tell them why the foreigners were being permitted to take jobs they felt belonged to them. About 20 percent of Masiphumelele's estimated 35 000 to 40 000 population is estimated to be foreign. * This article was originally published on page 4 of Saturday Star on July 10, 2010 Give migrants dignity we struggled to get Navi Pillay Sunday Tribune 11 July 2010 BY HOSTING the World Football Cup, South Africa has shown that it can welcome visitors from all over the globe with flair, generosity and warmth. It should now prove that it is also able to extend such hospitality and tolerance to migrants seeking a better life and protection in the country of Nelson Mandela. I am alarmed at recurrent episodes of attacks against non-nationals in my country. Reportedly, perpetrators of these attacks have largely been able to bank on impunity and have even been celebrated as heroes in their own neighbourhoods. By contrast, victims were granted no solace, no redress and no compensation for the loss of their meagre property and for their suffering. This approach must be reversed. The protection of all migrants is one of today's most compelling human rights issues. Indeed, the scale and complexity of migration is fast increasing. Currently, about 214 million people live outside their country of origin, many having moved for a variety of reasons in which the search for protection and the search for opportunity are often inextricably entwined. There is no denying that migrant inflows represent an even greater challenge for countries that have their own daunting problems of poverty and scarcity of resources like South Africa. Yet no country can escape the need, and indeed, the obligation, to ensure that national migration policies recognise the profoundly human nature of migration and are respectful of the human rights of all migrants. This approach also serves the best interest of the countries of destination. The 2009 Human Development Report explains how development and human rights protection are mutually reinforcing. Migrants who are fully integrated as active members of society do decent work and are able to speak out against discrimination or abuse, are more productive and contribute more to host societies than those who are exploited and socially excluded. But the empowering potential of migration does not occur automatically. It depends, to a large extent, on supportive and proactive policy measures. To this effect, international human rights standards provide benchmarks, a normative framework, and a set of guidelines for policy-makers seeking to align their measures with international law. These standards require, for example, that migrants be fully informed about their rights, and responsibilities, throughout the cycle of migration - from country of origin, to countries of transit and destination, and in some cases to eventual return. They stipulate that migrants have the right to just and favourable conditions of work, to equal protection under the law, protection from arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as the right to adequate health and housing, and to education. The enjoyment of these rights has made migration a positive and empowering experience for millions, but many others continue to be discriminated against and remain vulnerable. Another aspect of concern is that while the economic benefit of migration to host countries is well documented and widely accepted, these benefits do not necessarily accrue equally to all sectors of society. Specifically, migrants can be seen as unwelcome competition for local workers, as well as for social services such as public health, housing and education. Dealing with such perceptions, whether real or imagined, is vital. Left unaddressed, these feelings of grievance can foster xenophobia and intolerance against migrant communities. South Africa has taken some steps in the right direction to address aspects of its migration problems. The creation of a High Level Inter- Ministerial Committee on xenophobic violence against non-nationals is a welcome development. Moreover, the South African Police Service is working with the United Nations to understand and tackle the root causes of anti-migration sentiment and establish appropriate mechanisms to combat violence. The UN, through my office, is also engaged with the South African Human Rights Commission in a year-long project focused on addressing discrimination and xenophobia and preventing attacks against migrants. Much more needs to be done. Conditions of temporary detention of non-nationals must be improved. Crucially, detention should be a last resort: adequate options should first be explored. A review of the Immigration Act of 2002 could be carried out together with the enactment of laws that specifically target xenophobia and hate crimes, including hate speech, against non-nationals. In this land we know that history does not look kindly upon discrimination, exclusion and inequity. Migrants to today's South Africa are no more tradeable commodities or lesser human beings than the non-whites were under apartheid and its institutionalised racism. They are our brothers and sisters. We must demand for them the same respect, dignity and rights that we struggled for each and every South African to enjoy. Let us demonstrate some ubuntu. # Navi Pillay is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. No xenophobia fear in KZN Independent on Saturday 10 July 2010 POLICE say commercial rivalry and criminality appear to be at the heart of threats of xenophobic attacks in some parts of the country, but there's no evidence of such violence in KwaZulu-Natal. Police were commenting after the government this week outlined a plan to prevent any outbreak of xenophobic violence and called upon all people to work together to prevent such attacks. A survey by The Independent on Saturday found that some foreigners working in Durban were worried about rumours of imminent xenophobic violence. However, KZN police spokeswoman Brigadier Phindile Radebe stressed that there had been no reported threats in the province. The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, announced on Thursday that security agencies had been put on high alert to thwart any threats or acts of violence. "There has been a proliferation of businesses owned by foreign nationals in the townships and informal settlements across all provinces," he said. "This scenario of tensions between owners of businesses owned by locals and foreign nationals has spawned an ugly element of criminal involvement, exploitation and manipulation of the situation," he said Some foreigners at the Durban Refugee Reception Centre said they were scared. But Spinks Chilengwe, 25, a Zimbabwean who has been here for nearly three years, said he would not let a rumour force him out of the country. - Staff Reporter COSATU Press Statement on the Xenophobic issue in the Western Cape COSATU 9 July 2010 More decisive solutions are required in this time of trouble. COSATU is really concerned about the growing threats/rumours of Xenophobic attacks taking place in the Western Cape Province. We believe we have to respond decisively and ensure the safety of all our people, both locals or foreigners. Should we have to act without absolute information to guide us, we should err on the side of caution, if at all. We have an indication of the various Governments positions on this matter and we believe this issue is much too fraught with danger to play petty politics with. We must act in unity to secure the best possible outcome against this threat. There has been lots of engagement and it appears that the following strategy is emerging; 1. The first intervention is preparation and intelligence, ensuring that local communities have contact persons and that contact details of the police are circulated. 2. The second intervention is dealing with risk reduction and this calls upon churches and community organisations to speak out against xenophobia and promote the positive gees amongst all people that emerged from the World Cup. 3. The third intervention is to ensure that the municipalities and their disaster management teams are ready to assist in the event of displacement and crisis. This strategy seeks to not sensationalise the rumors, and to ensure that there is a readiness to confront acts of violence. This may be an acceptable plan to some, but Cosatu has a sense of unease about it, because it has the risk of people dying or being injured. This lag time between an attack and police response represents a clear and present danger, enough of a danger to warrant preventative action. And no life can be considered so cheap that we view injuries as collateral damage. No parent can be asked to risk their child’s life by staying in an area where there is a real risk of attack. It is this danger and lack of guarantees that compels people to take their families to places of safety rather than risk running the gauntlet. Cosatu believes we must build an additional step into our strategy as outlined above. This step must to confront and accommodate the reality that many people, because of the threats, are leaving areas and being preyed upon by truck drivers and others because of their vulnerability. The people people leaving the areas must have a safe haven they can go to. In this respect we call upon the municipalities to make the stadiums in Athlone and in municipalities are available as transit points, to which people who feel at risk can go, from where they can be taken to community halls. This stadiums must be available from Saturday 10 July 2010 , and people entering there must give a detailed report on the danger and source of the threats. The police can then go into this area and investigate the source of the threat and neutralise it by imprisoning the perpetrators. Then people can be returned to their communities, when things are safe. Surely this is the more humane approach that is fraught with less danger for the affected communities. The only possible reason for not doing this safety-first approach is the money that may be needed from the state for the disaster management. And surely given the billions of rands we just spent for the World Cup where we did not spare any expense we cannot now risk peoples lives. In the event that the threat does not materialise then we would have only the cost of disaster mitigation, but lives would have been spared. We must tread carefully also with the possible negative publicity around an attack , which can undo the billions spent on the World Cup to promote our caring image of safety and security. For any question please call Mike Louw or Evan Abrahamse or Tony Ehrenreich at 021 448 0046 POPCRU condemns Xenophobic intention harbored by whosoever in South Africa POPCRU joins all progressive trade unions, civil society organizations and all citizens in condemning unfortunate, un-African and the wayward implications such narrow tendencies may have in the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood in Africa and the rest of the world. We acknowledge the Inter-Ministerial Committee stance to take these threats seriously and mount an enhancement of our preparedness to bring an end to this scourge. Perhaps it is prudent to enhance Civic Education in our communities and education institutions around a respect for some of our constitutional clauses pertaining to the respect for life and our human rights stance. That may be re-enforced through the enhancement of Community Policing Forums and Street Committees to be reliable watch-dogs of our people and a site of struggle prudent to realize the National Democratic Society! As POPCRU, we throw our weight to these initiatives and call our membership to be vigilant to name and shame whosoever spreading such decayed and prejudicial views. Issued by: Norman Mampane National Spokesperson Tel: 0112424600/4615 Cell: 0720737959 Fax: 0866253054 Email: normanm@popcru.org.za 01 Marie Road Auckland Park 2006 Community fights xenophobia Hlengiwe Mnguni, News24 6 July 2010 Cape Town – With the rumoured forced removal of foreign nationals from communities around the country set to begin in less than a week, the community of Site C in Khayelitsha is going on an anti-xenophobia initiative to make sure that no incidences of violence connected to that rumour unfold. “We don’t want to take it as just a rumour,” community leader and member of the newly-formed Site C Action Committee Against Xenophobia, Ken Monelo, told News24. The group, which was formed on June 29 2010, has embarked on community education programmes including mini rallies around the area which will culminate in one rally on July 10 at the Blue Wall community centre in Site C. “When you go to shebeens and listen to people talk, it is seemingly serious,” he said. In the past few weeks rumours have spread that when the World Cup ends on July 11, foreign nationals should leave the country or they will be forcibly removed by South Africans. Monelo agreed with the theory that lack of service delivery coupled unemployment was to blame for people who acted out violently against foreigners, whom he said were “soft targets”. “There are no avenues in so far as grievances are concerned,” he said. He lamented the lack of political leadership in dealing with xenophobia in the country, but said opening lines of communication between township residents and foreign nationals by community leaders was also important. He said meetings between foreign business people and the communities in which they live would go a long way towards repairing relations. Foreign business people, mostly Somalis, have borne the brunt of xenophobic violence in the Western Cape. Just a week ago, a Somali shop owner was killed in Site C, Abdi Aden, a spokesperson for the Somali Retailers Association, told News24. Still hopeful “Yesterday gunmen broke into a shop and seriously injured a shop owner in Thembani,” said Abdi who says he has also had his shop looted by a xenophobic mob. Despite this and the looming threat of large scale violence, Abdi said he was confident that initiatives such as the one being spearheaded by the area’s anti-xenophobia group and government intervention would help, especially since the rumours have helped communities and government get “prepared” for that possibility. But for some community members the rumour is just fuel. “They must go home. They must be taken out of here. Their ancestors miss them,” Thembekile Sizane told News24 as members of the Site C Action Committee Against Xenophobia started setting up a public announcement system at a local taxi rank as part of its awareness programme. “They are now fighting for land with us,” he said. “And if necessary, I will be violent” he said. Public telephone operator Doris Kholose, from the nearby informal settlement of Harare, told News24 most foreign nationals around her home had started to leave. “They must go. There is just too many of them,” she said, adding however that she did not think violence was necessary. Kholose said she knew that there were people from African countries within South Africa that were “doing good things” and added that she was worried about what would happen to her acquaintances who were foreign nationals. SA rich enough for all “But they are taking our jobs. It’s going to get better after they leave,” she said echoing sentiments expressed by many. Cameroonian businessman and post-graduate political studies student Aabang Ako laid the blame on the government, saying South Africa was rich enough to accommodate foreign nationals. “It’s not like South Africa is not a rich country. The question is: How do we build capacity?” he told News24. According to Aabang, if South Africa concentrates on getting its population educated, the scramble for jobs would not be as brutal. Unfulfilled promises post 1994 democracy were also to blame, he said. “The State promised too much to people,” he said. But for a frustrated local vendor at the taxi rank, talk of building capacity and anti-xenophobia awareness was not important. “I don’t care about what is happening here,” said the woman who would not give her name. “All I care about is that these people are going to set up their things here and make running business hard for me today.” “I need to make more than this today,” she said waving a lone R20 note. - News24 href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Community-fights-xenophobia-20100706">http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Com munity-fights-xenophobia-20100706 SOUTH AFRICA BELONGS TO ALL WHO LIVE IN IT! ANTI PRIVATISATION FORUM SCHUBART PARK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION Public statement 9 July 2010 YOU TOUCH AN IMMIGRANT, YOU TOUCH A COMMUNITY’ ALL-INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY EVENT ON SUNDAY 11th JULY Schubart Park is a community organisation in the city of Tshwane and an affiliate of the Anti Privatisation Forum (APF). Immigrants in this community comprise about 60% of our community members. As a community and affiliate of the APF we denounce xenophobia in the strongest terms. We believe that South Africa belongs to those who live in it. There is no need for us to fight each other. We should stand together and channel our energies towards fighting inequality and the neo-liberal polices that have divided us economically and socially. Africa should know no borders - we are one. As the poor working class and communities we need to tackle the root causes of poverty, inequality and lack of service delivery. To do this requires a radical redistribution of power, assets and opportunities to break the cycle of poverty and inequality and to give the poor power over their destiny. Our government’s polices do not allow that to happen and instead they falsely divide us and create misdirected hatred and unnecessary conflict. It is these conditions and realities which fuel xenophobia and provide the space for xenophobic attacks. In Schubart Park we stand together irrespective of where we come from. Our slogan is - ‘YOU TOUCH AN IMMIGRANT, YOU TOUCH A COMMUNITY’. In our community there is, and will be no, space for anyone to ‘touch’ an immigrant. If this happens, the entire community will deal with the culprit(s) harshly. On Sunday 11th July 2010, the final day of the Soccer World Cup, our community will be staging a mini-soccer tournament that will be made up of residents from our community. ‘Zimbabwe’ will play against ‘Nigeria’ and ‘South Africa’ will play against a combination of ‘Malawi, Mozambique, Burundi, Congo and Tanzania’. The winners will play the finals and losers will battle for 3rd and 4th position. After the soccer tournament all are welcome to join us in the Schubart Park hall for a film screening on xenophobia. After the film we will have a discussion and finally at 19h00, a closing ceremony to our own xenophobia-free, ‘World Cup’. We will then watch the final game together in the hall. OUR PROGRAMME: 13h00 to 13h45 1st soccer match 13h50 to 14h35 2nd match 15h40 to 16h25 (3rd/4th place match) 16h30 to17h15 (1st/2nd match - final) 17h30 to 18h30 - Xenophobia film screening 18h30 to 19h00 - Debates on Xenophobia For more information contact: Aubrey Ramotlhale 0737213441 Mashao Chauke 0822126518 The Solidarity Peace Trust urges action to avoid xenophobic violence Solidarity Peace Trust PRESS STATEMENT 9 July 2010 The Solidarity Peace Trust condemns escalating threats of violence against foreigners in South Africa as the country’s successful hosting of the FIFA Soccer World Cup draws to a close. The Trust supports a number of initiatives in Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town and is concerned that, if South African authorities fail to take the renewed threats of violence seriously, the tragic events of 2008 may be repeated. That shocking wave of anti-foreigner attacks left 62 people dead and nearly 100 000 displaced. It created terror among the refugee community and generated negative publicity for South Africa worldwide. Reports have already been brought to The Trust’s attention of foreigners being attacked and robbed of their meagre possessions as they leave areas where their safety is under threat. The Trust therefore urges the authorities, notably the police, to respond decisively to the widespread threats and to act immediately against people or organisations which are fomenting violence, as well as against all perpetrators of attacks on foreigners. The Trust calls on churches and community leaders to unite against xenophobic attacks and to demand that foreigners are given the protection they deserve. We support the view of the South African Council of Churches that the threats of xenophobic violence are not based on unfounded rumours, as is claimed by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa. While the lack of political leadership needs to be addressed, it is also vital that communication between township residents and foreign nationals is initiated immediately to build understanding and prevent violent xenophobic incidents. The Trust appreciates South African government spokesman Themba Maseko’s reassurances that Cabinet has re-established the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) to focus on and deal with incidents and threats of attacks on foreign nationals. South Africa is a country which prides itself on its deep religious beliefs and moral principles. The Trust calls on the people of South Africa to follow the teachings of the Bible regarding the hosting of foreigners: "When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong … (he) … shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself …" (Lev 19.33,34) Signed Selvan Chetty Deputy Director Solidarity Peace Trust Will Any Players Speak Up? The World Cup and the Politics of Immigration JULES BOYKOFF 29 June 2010 The World Cup has produced some mercurial moments, with defending champions Italy getting the early boot, all African teams but Ghana vanquished in the first round, and longshots like Japan and Slovakia advancing to the knockout round. We’ve heaped plenty of scrutiny on England’s lack of zest, South America’s well-deserved success, and France’s pathetic implosion. But the tournament has also provided compelling political undercurrents that deserve our attention. For starters, several European countries with borderline draconian immigration policies have benefited massively from immigration. While the right-wing ratchets up its anti-immigrant rhetoric, it’s immigrants who have actually helped these countries achieve World Cup success. Take Germany. Without Mesut Ozil—the son of a Turkish guest worker—whose left-footed zinger against Ghana vaulted Germany to the second round, the Germans would not only be manifestly less imaginative but long ago would’ve been back in Deutschland nursing hefeweizen and watching the rest of the tournament on television. Brazilian-born Cacau has injected energy into Germany’s attack after securing citizenship last spring. His striking partner Miroslav Klose was born in Poland as was Lukas Podolski — and both were stars in Germany’s 2006 World Cup campaign. In Switzerland, where leading political party, the Union Démocratique du Centre, has pushed anti-immigrant policy and tried to outlaw the construction of minarets, Gelson Fernandes, who was born in Cape Verde, scored the gamewinner against mighty Spain while Congo-born Blaise Nkufo has provided a consistent, muscular presence up front. And where would Portugal be without their skillful Brazilian-born trifecta of Pepe the enforcer, striker Liedson, and midfield stalwart Deco whose play was pivotal in getting Portugal to South Africa in the first place? Despite racist wailings from Arizona, the US squad has also benefited from immigration. Jozy Altidore—who was vital to US success in this World Cup—has parents who emigrated from Haiti. Altidore regularly wears a wristband with a Haitian flag on it to acknowledge his heritage — to be sure, the wristband also has an American flag on it. Such immigrant success on the World Cup stage has induced a wave of Orwellian doublethink, with right-wing hyper-nationalists football aficionados simultaneously holding two contradictory ideas in their skulls at the same time. Veins bulging from their necks as they root for the home team, these fans spout xenophobia by day and don the national team strip by night. But European reactionaries and conservatives aren’t the only ones suffering from doublethink. I suffer from it, too, though in a different sense. I realize South Africa is getting reamed by FIFA, with record profit outflows leaving the country and extravagant stadium building prioritized over the basic needs of the citizenry. FIFA and its boosters have trotted out the standard-issue, trickle-down claptrap used to rationalize all international sporting extravaganzas. There’s also the unsavory practice of corporate sponsors fiendishly enforcing their commercial pole position, hounding ambush marketers as if they were abject murderers. All together it’s red-card-abominable and I fully support the dissidents who are marching against these serious injustices. And yet my heart can’t but help get fully immersed in the ups and downs of this World Cup. Sure, I love the game of football, but I also believe football players have the potential to press us collectively toward a more just society. Terry Eagleton recently wrote, “for the most part football these days is the opium of the people, not to speak of their crack cocaine.” The subtle key to that passage is “for the most part.” In fact, numerous footballers themselves have sliced against this zeitgeist, engaging in a wide array of charity work. Holland’s Dirk Kuyt runs a foundation that makes sport more available to the disabled. Joseph Yobo of Nigeria has done significant social-uplift work with youth in the Niger Delta, doling out more than 300 educational scholarships. Fellow Super Eagle Nwanko Kanu runs a foundation for people with heart ailments. But charity work is not the same thing as taking a strong, public stand on controversial issues like immigration or war, let alone engaging in social-justice activism. Due to the hyper-commercialized nature of football, players don’t want to alienate sponsors (existing or potential), aggravate team owners and administrators, or deflect the venom of fans who screech that they should just shut up and play. It makes more sense to go the route of David Beckham, becoming a one-size-fits-all, polysemic athlete who spectators can read in any way they wish. Yet I can’t let go of the glimmering hope that footballers could speak out. You may be mumbling to yourself that the odds of this happening are about as good as those of French coach Raymond Domenech being named World Cup Manager of the Year. But players have moved beyond charity work in the past, with Didier Drogba employing his football acumen as a platform to help reconcile political factions in the Ivory Coast. And sportswriter Dave Zirin is right: “Sport is, at the end of the day, like a hammer. And you can use a hammer to bash someone over the head or you could use it to construct something beautiful. It's in the way that you use it.” In these final days of the World Cup, I’ll be relishing the luscious mélange of teamwork, individual skill, and artistry that only football can deliver. But I’m also hoping that a big-name footballer will brandish his socio-political hammer to build something bigger than himself and indeed bigger than the FIFA World Cup Trophy. Jules Boykoff is a former professional soccer player who represented the US Olympic team in international matches. He is an associate professor of Political Science at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. He can be reached at: boykoff@pacificu.edu  Back

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