Violence directed against foreigners in South Africa by vigilante groups is part of the apartheid regime's strategy against black people, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa warned on Monday (April 11th).
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Dozens of demonstrators have expressed their resentment against illegal immigrants from neighboring countries in various cities in South Africa in recent months.
Violent incidents erupt frequently and last week a young Zimbabwean was lynched and burned by an angry mob in the township of Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg.
“We cannot let these injustices happen again”
“
We have seen people picked up in the street by ordinary citizens and forced to present identity documents to justify their status
,” notes President Ramaphosa in his weekly newsletter.
"
That's how the apartheid oppressors operated
," he said.
“
Under apartheid, blacks were suspected by default and arrested by the police when they were in so-called white areas
,” he recalled: “
blacks were forced to present a 'dompas' ( a document restricting freedom of movement) and if they could not do so, they were imprisoned
".
“
We cannot let these injustices happen again
”, he insisted, referring to the “
tragedy
” of the death of seven South Africans in Diepsloot which had triggered this wave of anti-immigrant demonstrations.
“
Today our anger is directed at people from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria or Pakistan.
Tomorrow our anger may be directed at ourselves
,” he continued.
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“
Attacking those we suspect of crime just because they are foreigners is immoral, racist and criminal
,” President Ramaphosa warned.
Violence against immigrants is common in Africa's most industrialized nation, where the unemployment rate reaches some 35% and where foreigners are often accused of taking jobs away from South Africans.
