Police on high alert amid rumours of xenophobic violence

The Ministry of Police will be on high alert to ensure that xenophobic violence is quelled as quickly as possible should it flare up after FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup. This was the announcement made by the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthetwa on Thursday at a media briefing held by the inter-ministerial task team set up last week to look at ways of preventing further xenophobic attacks. During 2008 thousands of refugees mostly Zimbabweans were left destitute as the locals attacked and chased them out of the townships they were living in.

Mthetwa said the security put in place for the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup will remain in place after the tournament ends on Sunday to curb any outbreak of violence. In addition Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) will be spearheading an aggressive communication strategy to counter and mitigate the risk posed by unbalanced media reports which instill fear in foreign nationals.

The inter-ministerial committee comprises of several other ministries including Home Affairs, Social Development, State Security, Basic Education, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Art and Culture and International Relations and Cooperation. Last week rumours of xenophobic violence after the world cup once again did the rounds in townships in the Western Cape.

"We will not tolerate any threat or act of violence against any individual or sector of society, no matter what reasons are given to justify such threats or actions. Government is closely monitoring these xenophobic threats by faceless criminals whose desire is to create anarchy. We want to assure society that our police are on the ground to thwart these evil acts," said Mthetwa.

Plan

Mthetwa outlined a detailed multi faceted plan to prevent any outbreak of violence against foreign nationals in South Africa. He further called on all civic organizations, political parties, youth formations and religious groupings to work together. "In the unlikely event of another breakout of violence against foreign nationals or violence in any form, government will take appropriate legal measures to bring perpetrators to book.

"Our security agencies are prepared to deal effectively with any violence against anyone, including foreign nationals. We continue to monitor all and any threats. Should any be found to be credible measures will be implemented immediately to prevent any outbreak of violence," he said. According to Mthetwa their research has found that the rumours have been spread by criminal elements.

"The locus of these tensions is mainly driven by criminal elements in areas where there are high levels of poverty and unemployment. There has been a proliferation of businesses owned by foreign nationals in the townships and informal settlements across all provinces. Furthermore there is a sharp increase in anti foreigner sentiment spreading from the metropolitan cities and surrounding townships to smaller towns and rural areas across South Africa," explained Mthetwa.

He said the task team had noted that one of the contributing factors to the renewed threat of xenophobic violence is unemployment amongst the youth. "The inter-ministerial committee further noted that the most disturbing factor is the marked involvement of unemployed young people in this ghastly manifestation of discontent.

"It is a matter of common knowledge that some foreign nationals do not register their presence in the country with the relevant government institutions. Therefore the integration of foreign nationals in society is crucial. This scenario leads to deep resentment and discontent," said Mthetwa.