Mbeki: No Such Thing As Xenophobia in South Africa

South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday insisted that there was no such thing as xenophobia in his country, adding that he knew nobody who suffered from this “disease” called xenophobia.

The so-called xenophobic attacks on mainly foreign nationals in May this year - which left 62 people dead and thousands displaced - were rather the direct result of “naked criminal activity,” Mbeki said.

He was speaking at a tribute for victims of the xenophobic violence held at the Pretoria City Hall early Friday. It was attended by cabinet ministers, politicians, religious leaders and families of victims.

Mbeki offered the country’s apologies for the attacks, vowing they would never happen again. But the president vehemently denied that xenophobia was behind “the dark days of May”.

Referring to his visits to urban and rural areas across the country, Mbeki said it was clear to him that foreigners had been accepted by local communities across South Africa.

“When I heard some accuse my people of xenophobia, of hatred of foreigners, I wondered what the accusers knew about my people, that I did not know,” he said.

“These masses (South Africans) are neither antipathetic towards nor do they hate foreigners. And this I must also say: none in our society has any right to encourage or incite xenophobia by trying to explain naked criminal activity by cloaking it in the garb of xenophobia.”

To support his assertions, Mbeki said the violence was not targeted at poorer immigrants.

“Those who have eyes to see will have seen that much of the violence we experienced was targeted at the immigrants who had property to loot. Those who have eyes to see will have seen that the majority of the immigrants who live in conditions of poverty, as do many of our people, were not attacked,” he said.

Mbeki offered South Africa’s apologies to the rest of the world: “I humbly convey our apology that we allowed criminals and thugs in our midst to inflict terrible pain and damage to our fellow Africans and many in our society.”

Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula said that 21 of the 62 people killed during the attacks were South Africans.

Source African Press Agency

Net News Publisher