ANC CALLS FOR TOLERANCE FOLLOWING OUTBREAK OF ANTI-FOREIGNER VIOLENCE

24 February 2017

The African National Congress (ANC) notes with concern the attacks at foreigners in South Africa, particularly in Gauteng Province.

Violence has no place in our country where we strive to promote peaceful coexistence between all those who reside within our borders. These are acts of criminality and the ANC calls on our law-enforcement authorities to deal appropriately with those found to be behind these attacks. Similarly, the ANC calls on all South Africans, and in particular, persons in positions of leadership in communities and of political parties, to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric that stokes the flames of intolerance.

The mayor of the city of Johannesburg Mr Herman Mashaba should be singled out for particular mention.

His pompous call in December 2016 for foreigners to leave ‘his city’ – declaring that all foreigners in the province were illegal - in fact preceded this spate of attacks on foreigners.

The ANC notes the bitter irony of the political opposition the Democratic Alliance (DA) ‘condemning xenophobic violence’ in Gauteng when it was the reckless statements of Mayor Mashaba that lit the tinderbox of hatred in the first place.

Issues of crime and illegal immigration fall within the purview of our law-enforcement and border management agencies. We should not and cannot allow vigilantism to prevail.

Communities concerned at high levels of crime should address their concerns to the relevant law-enforcement authorities, and not take the law into their own hands.

The ANC is committed to the realization of Agenda 2030 of the African Union and its aspiration of a peaceful and united Africa. The grim images of African turning on African take us back to a dark time in our history that should never be repeated.

Statement issued by the African National Congress, 24 February 2017