South Africans Stage Anti-foreigners March

Official correspondence from the Foreign Affairs Ministry however indicates the number has now increased to 18 after 13 more Ghanaian citizens were rescued.

“We have allowed in criminals and former child soldiers”. The worse xenophobic attacks in South Africa was recorded in 2015.

The church needs to strengthen its anti-xenophobia work in parishes across the country, Robert Mafinyori, a coordinator at the justice and peace department in Pretoria, said in a February 21 telephone interview.

The Member of Parliament for Asawase constituency in the Ashanti Region, Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed has moved a motion for the relocation of the Pan African parliament from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks in that country. The unemployment rate in the country is over 30 percent.

Mr Zuma has condemned the acts of violence and intimidation directed at African immigrants living in South Africa. In one part of the city, protesters appeared to lunge at a group of immigrants, with police officers firing rubber bullets to separate the two groups.

“We have seen the same kind of global coalition against racism in South Africa where the rest of the world came together and decided it was time to stamp out apartheid. Whenever there have been incidents, they were sparked by something and they then blew up”, he said.

Zuma says whether South Africans are xenophobic or not is up for debate but that he doubts South Africans are xenophobic.

The unrest in Pretoria comes after stores belonging to migrants were looted.

He expressed regret that the attacks were carried out against nationals of countries that were frontliners in the fight against the apartheid system in South Africa decades ago.

While those at home are facing economic challenges due to the current recession, those in South Africa are grappling with xenophobia from the citizens, while Libya has become living hell for many seeking greener pastures and wanting to cross to Europe. He is still deciding what positions his party will pursue in future elections.

They also accuse them of stealing their jobs.

“With lives at stake, it is important to manage tempers and emotions”, he said.

He said only 5% of immigrants were refugees.

There were unconfirmed reports that the offices belonged to MTN.

With more people in countries where there is a presence of South African people and companies threatening reprisals, the ongoing tensions are feared to have dire consequences.

Mnguni added that the complaints made by some South Africans about some undocumented foreigners was not enough to attack all foreign nationals especially Nigerians. The Johannesburg-listed company previous year paid $1.1bn to settle a record fine – originally set at $5.2bn – for alleged violations of a law related to SIM card registration.

“For too long, we have been quiet while our “lazy” South African colleagues come to loot our goods and destroy property claiming we are taking their jobs”.