Rights group urges South African police to punish xenophobic violence
Johannesburg, South Africa (PANA) – Human rights watchdog Human Rights Watch has urged the South African police to take swift action to end xenophobic attacks targeting African foreign nationals.
At least 12 people have been killed, thousands displaced, and businesses wantonly looted during the violence that began in late last month.
Those responsible for previous waves of xenophobic violence in South Africa, including the 2008 violence that left 62 foreign nationals dead and the attacks against foreign truck drivers earlier this year, have rarely faced any penalties for their crimes, it noted in a statement on Friday.
“The vicious cycles of xenophobic violence are spurred by lack of effective policing to protect foreign nationals and their properties,” said Dewa Mavhinga, southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Merely condemning xenophobic violence is not enough to stop it – the police should thoroughly investigate, arrest, and bring to justice the attackers.”
Human Rights Watch said Police Minister Bheki Cele told the media that, over the last few weeks, the police have arrested more than 600 people on various charges related to public violence and looting, malicious damage to property, and grievous bodily harm.
"Human Rights Watch is concerned that, as with previous waves of xenophobic violence, prosecutions will fail if police investigations are not thorough," it said in the statement.
It added that on 3 September, President Cyril Ramaphosa posted a video message on Twitter in which he condemned the violence in the strongest terms and called for it to stop immediately, but it has not stopped.
Human Rights Watch said it has also documented the sporadic violence since late August targeting African foreign nationals and their businesses in parts of Durban, Pretoria, and Johannesburg, and the surrounding areas of Germiston, Thokoza, Katlehong, Alberton, Jeppestown, Hillbrow, Alexandra, and Malvern.
"Despite these cycles of xenophobic violence, the government has done little to address the attacks, except to issue a National Action Plan to combat xenophobia on 25 March. The action plan has yet to be implemented. The authorities should review previous government interventions during periods of xenophobic violence and determine why their actions failed to prevent recurring attacks," Human Rights Watch said.
“When the attackers are not held to account, others will not be deterred from perpetuating the cycles of xenophobic violence,” Mavhinga said. “South Africa should prioritise and guarantee the safety and security of victims and ensure that the attackers are held to account.”
-0- PANA MA 13Sept2019
