South African International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has told African diplomats that the country’s arms were open to any African who wished to reside in the Rainbow Nation.
Sisulu said this on Monday after meeting African ambassadors to discuss last week’s bloody xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, mainly Malawians, in Durban’s informal settlements.
Addressing the media after meeting the envoys, Sisulu said the police had requested additional time to investigate the violence that saw the victims being chased away from their homes — to take refuge at a police station and a mosque — to determine if the attacks were “xenophobic, criminal or both.”
In a Monday statement President Cyril Ramaphosa, however, described the attacks on the national foreigners as being perpetrated by “xenophobic criminals.”
Sisulu said: “We want to assure everybody in this country that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that everybody is safe. The constitution guarantees the safety of everyone and it is our duty to do that.”
Sisulu said during her engagement with the diplomats, the envoys told her they felt the attacks were xenophobic and happened on a regular basis in the country, recalling similar incidences in 2008 and 2015 where dozens of foreign nationals died in the attacks.
“We are going to sit down and deal with this matter,” she said, adding that Pretoria would now involve the diplomats because “they are responsible for their citizens in this country.”
NM/as/APA