Xenophobic Violence in South Africa
The violence in South Africa directed at immigrants this past week has been tragic. It recalled a speech by an immigrant rights advocate on xenophobia in Johannesburg back in December of 2006 that raises issues that are relevant in the United States:
The immigrants become the scapegoat for the very problems of unemployment and poverty the ruling class has created. The immigrants are divided from the local masses, forced to live in the shadows, unprotected by unions, lacking human rights.This is exactly the situation here in South Africa, where we are told to be “Proudly South African,” blame everything on immigrants, and cheer our local ruling class for persecuting the immigrants – all the while we are supposed to forget what that ruling class – which is now brown, black and white – does to the masses everyday. 1 million jobs have been lost in 10 years, new jobs are mostly casual jobs, old jobs are increasingly unprotected, industrial accidents soar, 500,000 people are evicted off the farms, 10 million people have electricity cut-off – all by the local ruling class – and yet we are supposed to think poor immigrants are to blame! It is a disgrace, and an insult to our intelligence.
And here we come to the second big reason for xenophobia: the conditions of the immigrants make them into cheap labour, which benefits the local ruling class. Then the immigrants get blamed for being cheap labour, and accused of stealing jobs! The working class is divided between national and foreigner, and unable to fight back against the elite, which orchestrates the whole situation. Immigrants do become cheap labour, but this is the result of the actions of the local elite, and believe you me, the ruling class benefits. Click here for the full speech.
The UN News Service issued this report late this week:
The United Nations refugee agency said that it remains “deeply concerned” over the recent xenophobic violence in South Africa, which has claimed dozens of lives and has displaced some 17,000 people, including refugees and asylum-seekers.
Many of those who have been attacked in the past two weeks – a large percentage of them being Zimbabweans – had originally moved to South Africa to escape persecution in their own countries.
“We are present on the ground and have been assessing the needs at sites near police stations where the displaced have gathered,” Jennifer Pagonis, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said today.
On Wednesday, the agency distributed blankets and mats to survivors, with additional supplies being released from emergency stocks yesterday. Ms. Pagonis said UNHCR is in close contact with the South African Government regarding further assistance.
Among the displaced Zimbabweans are many asylum-seekers who urgently require both assistance and protection, UNHCR said.
“While thousands of Mozambicans are reportedly streaming home, many Zimbabweans cannot consider returning home due to the well-known situation in their country,” Ms. Pagonis observed.
Since many of the Zimbabweans need international protection, she called for those seeking asylum to have access to national asylum procedures in South Africa or other nations. “Zimbabweans who are refugees should be recognized as such,” she noted.” Click here for the rest of the story.
About 2,000 demonstrators in South Africa Saturday protested a wave of recent violence against foreigners, something the county president described as a disgrace.
During a speech, President Thabo Mbeki said a small number of people are carrying out the attacks which have brought humiliation to the entire country.
Protesters took to the streets in Johannesburg Saturday carrying signs that read “We stand against Xenophobia” and “Xenophobia hurts like apartheid”. See here.
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