Heads
of State and government of the Southern African Development Community
(SADC), meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe yesterday condemned the recent
attacks against African migrants in parts of Durban and Johannesburg in
South Africa. The summit meeting was reacting to a briefing by South
Africa President Jacob Zuma on the nature of the xenophobic attacks and
measures taken by his government to restore peace.
According
to a communique issued after the meeting, "Summit commended the
measures that the government of South Africa has put in place and
resolved to work together to deal with the situation and ensure it does
not recur." The attacks affected the citizens of SADC member countries
of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania, which were forced
to evacuate their people.
The
violence heightened tension between South Africa and its neighbours,
some of whom threatened retaliatory measures. But briefing the media
after the summit yesterday, The SADC Chairman, President Robert Mugabe,
said the situation should not be blamed on South Africa alone. He said
an virtually unchecked influx of migrants from neighbouring countries
was stretching resources to the limit in South Africa, where the
majority blacks were living in dire conditions.
"Only
the whites are living well there. Our people should not have the
instinct to rush to Johannesburg in the false hope that it is heaven,"
he said. The SADC Chair said one way to arrest the influx was for SADC
member countries to improve their economies and attract their youth to
stay and work at home. Hundreds of Zimbabweans, Malawians, Mozambicans
and Zambians were evacuated following the attacks, but millions more,
who are largely unskilled, remain in South Africa.
Twenty
six Tanzanians were facilitated by the government to return home last
week and the Tanzania High Commission in Pretoria is looking for others
who may wish to return home. There was no Tanzanian among eight
foreigners reported to have been killed in the attacks.
President
Zuma has been quoted in the media as saying he would address the root
causes of the xenophobic attacks, which he said were poverty,
unemployment and immigration. An estimated 53 percent of the South African population lives below the poverty line, according to the United Nations. (Ends) .
Arrival of Dr. Bilal in Zimbabwe .
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