By Scott Baldauf, The Christian Science Monitor
Tshwane, South Africa — More than three weeks after beginning, South Africa’s xenophobic attacks continue as the nation’s leaders urge communities to begin bringing African immigrants from other countries back into their communities.
Just days after a Mozambican man was burnt alive in the township of Atteridgeville, and police raided a camp near the nation’s capital, swinging clubs and firing rubber bullets and injuring dozens of the nearly 1,500 Somalis, Ethiopians, and Congolese inside, President Thabo Mbeki made a renewed appeal for the violence to stop. More than 62 have died since the violence began.
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating Youth Day on Monday, Mr. Mbeki praised the past efforts of South African youth in the liberation struggle that ended the racist system of apartheid. But, he added, “at the same time, we must admit that all of us have been humiliated and shamed by the small number of young people who took it upon themselves to lead criminal attacks against the Africans living among us.”
Kgalema Motlanthe, the ruling African National Congress party’s No. 2, reinforced the message at a speech in Soweto: “The current situations suggest that we are sinking into a flood.”
While few predicted the anti-immigrant attacks, the warning signs have been present for years. Attacks against Somali shopkeepers alone have led to hundreds of deaths in sporadic violence since 1994, say Somali groups. The government doesn’t track attacks based on national origin.
Anger about the government’s inability to create jobs or to deliver electricity or drinking water to burgeoning townships has spilled over into open protests, complete with roadblocks, burning tires, and residents wielding clubs. Now, angry citizens have taken their frustrations out those who arrived in South Africa to make a little money, and succeeded.
“We’re talking about the poorest of the [South African] poor, and there was no pressure valve, and so when the pressure grew, and you lit a match, the whole thing blew,” says Adrian Hadland, director of democracy and governance programs at the Human Sciences Research Council. Dr. Hadland recently conducted focus groups in townships for a report for the government on the causes of and solutions for xenophobic attacks.
In the focus groups, “People describe themselves as being in a state of siege. Food is more expensive. Housing is more expensive. Jobs are harder to find. You would already be looking for a scapegoat, and then you have migrants arriving, most of them better educated, some of them with access to money,” he says. The violence is “nothing new, but what is new is how the violence spread so rapidly, and nationally.”
Tito Mboweni, the Reserve Bank Governor, said earlier this month that poor South Africans spend half of their income on food alone. “Food and petrol prices are the main contributors to inflation, but in recent months, more generalized price pressures have emerged as well,” said Mr. Mboweni.
While government officials like President Mbeki are urging citizens to allow the migrants to return, Hadland says that few South Africans want reintegration to begin until the government meets some of their demands for better service and less corruption.
Judging from the mood at a transit camp for migrants north of Tshwane, as Pretoria is now called, few migrants would return to their former homes and businesses anyway without assurances for their safety.
On Saturday, violent clashes between camp dwellers – most of them Somalis, Ethiopians, Eritreans, and Congolese – and local police left dozens injured when police used clubs and fired rubber bullets to bring a restive crowd under control. Tensions rose, camp dwellers say, after a policeman demanded cigarette from a camp dweller, and when he was refused, he insisted on searching the boy for drugs.
More police were called in to search the camp for weapons, but when police entered a tent that had been designated as a mosque, camp dwellers pushed them out, and the violence began. Camp dwellers say that three persons – one Ethiopian and two Somalis – were killed during the Saturday raid, but pol ice took away their bodies. Police confirm only that some of the camp dwellers were injured.
“I am encouraged to see the situation is under control,” Tshwane Executive Mayor Gwen Ramokgopa told a community meeting after the police raid. She said the raid occurred after a female police officer was “held hostage” within the camp, a charge the camp dwellers deny.
“For 15 years, Somalis have been killed in robberies, their shops burnt, but the government did nothing,” says Abdul Abbas, a spokesman for the Somali community in the camp. “Then when the xenophobic attacks started, they did nothing again. They saved our lives, but they did nothing to save our shops. Then they bring us here, and now the police are fighting us. We are fed up.”
Yitbarak, a young Somali whose shop in a Johannesburg township was burned by angry mobs 23 days ago, says that conditions in the camp are abysmal, that it’s not safe to leave. “The government says they are going to protect us, but it is the police who are attacking us,” he says. “The police tell us, ‘Go home, this is not your country. This is South Africa.’ ”
Elmi Hissa, an elderly Somali shopkeeper, says that she has been robbed more times than she can remember in the past 10 years, and each time moved to a different community – from Johannesburg to Durban to Cape Town to Kimberly to Pretoria – in the hopes that the local people would accept her once they got to know her.
“For 10 years I was patient, but now I’m tired,” she sighs.
“You struggle hard, you work hard, and after that people take it from you. You go to police and they say, why don’t you go to your own country?” The reason she doesn’t go back, she says, is that there’s a war in Somalia that has already claimed seven of her children. “Sometimes I think until I cry,” she says. “South Africa is not the place to stay anymore. You can’t stay with people who don’t want you.”
Lukmaan Abdullah, a young Somali clothing salesman, fled Somalia just two months ago, when warlords came to take him as a soldier. His parents sold the house they were living in in order to pay for his transportation to South Africa, hoping the young man would be able to make enough money to help the family survive.
The day he arrived, however, the xenophobic attacks began, and Mr. Abdullah has spent the past 23 days in this camp. “When I left Somalia, the rockets were hitting the market where I worked. When I came here, the xenophobic attacks had just started. If I go back now, there will be no other way but to work with the warlords. They will force me, without a doubt.”
12 thoughts on “South Africa police attack Ethiopian, other African immigrants”
If the South Africa government is not under controls this situation, then UNITE immigrants (Somalians, Eritreans and Ethiopians) to defend your self. That is the only option left.
Survival of the fittest.
Arm your self fight aganist the robbers and criminals.
Demonestration infront of the government office is also important.
Petition to the high ranking officals of South Africa is important.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL !!!
You can listen the General Assembly live right now by calling the Conference # 218 486 7200 Bridge # 612622.
Andente Party Song
June 18 2008
UDJ UPDATE From Ethiopia
8:00 am Addis Ababa Time
Meeting participants are gathering at the head quarters of UDJ, registration has started meeting
will start in one hour. We will post interviews with participants as they come available.
8:30 am Addis Ababa Time
Registration is finished 300 plus are registered and the Meeting has started
8:45 am Addis Ababa Time
Meeting started we the New Andente song it was a very emotional moment
Eng. Gizachew Shiferaw has open the meeting with a short speechclick here
Birtukan Midekesa is now giving an introduction speech click here
9:00 am Addis Ababa Time
They are now listening comments form the meeting participants
10:00 am Addis Ababa Time
The UDJ Party Logo and the bylaw has been approved by the general assembly
Soon they will choose an election committee to conduct the election for the leadership of UDJP
11:00 am Addis Ababa Time
Election committee is appointed balate paper is been handed out after lunch election for the leadership of UDJP will next click here
Interview Shakespear Feyissa on the formation of UDJ and current issues
why take your anger on us??? where is human dignity??? human life value???? is these what we have become to be?????
we live scattered around the globe thanks to the ongoing massacre, blood shed and terror at home, and these is how our fellow africans greet us!!!!! they blame their povery and miserable life on these poor horn/east africans!!!
God be with the horn/east africans!!! God be with africans.
South Africa must be ruled by white minority for they treat all black as black people. We black race are embarsement to all black race. Shame all black leaders of Africa and big shame to south A frican Niggers. Here on I have no more sympathy for crap lies about aparthied erra lies.
Shame on the South African Gov. We should petitioned aganist 2010 world cup. The venue of word cup must change from a xenophobic SOUTH AFRICA. Tabo mubeki and his gov. should smell the coffee.
don’t blame south africa for this blame our own government for letting his people live out side their country. we would have done the same thing if we had another foreiner come and control our country and let our people poor. once again i blame our own shameless government for not taking the responsibilty and address this issue.
p.s. i do feel for the victims though
Folks:
We must be very careful as to what we are suggesting and as to what we are supporting in the current disgraceful violence in South Africa.
To suggest that the immigrants armed and defend themselves or that the racist White aparthaid ex-rulers were better is to play in to the hands of behind the scene conpirators getting ready te recolonize Africa the only resource continent sitting on mountains of natural resources while the world is starting to burn from lack of adequate strategic resources. Soon the world might be a place where “A DOG EAT A DOG.”
Just like the early precolonial days African coastal areas are being settled by foreign military forces, chaotic areas falling under foreign military rulerships while enclave settlers are being spread here and there waiting for some coordinated efforts like in Zimbabwe, South Africa, etc.
What looks isolated and disconnected disturbances might be some sort of organized propvocation leadral continenetal chaos and wide spread violence in the heat and confusion of which cunning fox modern day colonialists may grb the entire continent for the next 500 years or more. History may repeat itself.
As for us it is best to unite and build our country along the line many Ethiopians are trying currently.
As for the South Africa tradgedy we need to mobilize the international community inculuding Amnesty international, the UNited Nations, International Criminal court, Human Rights Watch, African Union, ASEAN, national and international non governmental and governmental organizations, media houses, etc. Simply to be active, take position, join forces and oppose shameful and inhuman barbarism.
1# YES HR-2003 says:
If the South Africa government is not under controls this situation, then UNITE immigrants (Somalians, Eritreans and Ethiopians) to defend your self. That is the only option left.
Survival of the fittest.
Arm your self fight aganist the robbers and criminals.
Demonestration infront of the government office is also important.
Petition to the high ranking officals of South Africa is important.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL !!!
3# ARARSA DUBI says:
“South Africa must be ruled by white minority for they treat all black as black people. We black race are embarsement to all black race. Shame all black leaders of Africa and big shame to south A frican Niggers. Here on I have no more sympathy for crap lies about aparthied erra lies.”
Living out side his/her country is not at all crime. Every human being rich or poor, man or woman, adult or child, etc. may live in any country according the law of the lands.
The “Ethiopian government” itself vry busy killin, jailing, starving and displacing millions oe Ethiopians is very happy to see you dead. To the Wayane pathological dictator every Ethiopian living abroad and managing life is a potential threat. When a potential or befallen misfortunes dictators only celebrate.
Keeping fishing from a dry hot sand hill may not produce any fish.
t says:
don’t blame south africa for this blame our own government for letting his people live out side their country. we would have done the same thing if we had another foreiner come and control our country and let our people poor. once again i blame our own shameless government for not taking the responsibilty and address this issue.
p.s. i do feel for the victims though
Their only option is to appeal to UNHCR for resettlment in the developed world.
South Africans are bad people, I guess. We would never attack foreigners in our country. It is weak.
even in south africa our people cant have peace that they didint get in theyr own countryn thanks to melez and somali wardlors. in the future peopple somali peoplle will remember and never now maybe south africa will be war sameday and they will be immigrants like us ..peace to our peopple in east africa…
black south african are racist. what do you expect, they should ruled by white people as one time they were, they are the most bad pople that you can find in this planet. they are attacking another poor african brother who came over to look for a better life in another parts of the world that is very sad. where are they the so called leaders and world peace prize award winners? we don’t treat foreigheners who come to our country for any reason to stay or to visit.why don’t they try attacking the white community in south africa they know that what is going to happen.as far as I’m concern the government pre-meditate the attack.shame on you mbeki and your administration.
I am one of the victoms of xenophobic attak.the attack have been going on for the last ten years.no one cares about refugees in south africa.the heatrad is deep rooted througout south african.the unhcr south africa have got a mandet to protect a refuge but they are corrabted that is why they don’t want to act.i am a leaving proof for all things .iam avictem and still we are waiting for the solution from geneve .any ond who want to have a knowlege about us ,even in a camp (akasia camp) you contact me 0027793749465