South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor has compared political and economic conditions that Africa is going through to being “similar to the ones on the slave ships that took our kith and kin away from the continent.”
Pandor said this when she held a meeting with the African Diaspora in Pretoria on Friday to collaborate with South Africa following recent attacks on foreign nationals.
She told the meeting held at her office in Pretoria that it was important to address the challenges of political and economic conditions in Africa if Africans stop being in the current poor economic and political conditions that are leading to xenophobic violence.
“These poor economic and political conditions condemn the majority of our fellow humans, particularly in poor countries, to the conditions similar to the ones on the slave ships that took our kith and kin away from the continent,” the minister said.
Pandor’s meeting with the diaspora follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s sending of special envoys to several African countries in a bid to address recent attacks on foreign nationals that have led to the death of 12 people – including 10 South Africans.
“We cannot sit back and do nothing. We need your advice as to actions we should set in motion to prevent further tragedies like this,” she said.
Incidents of violence, intimidation and death witnessed recently required “us to avoid the pointing of fingers and reach out across all communities,” Pandor added.
The origin and sources of antagonism and anger must be identified, she said, adding that she supports police action against the perpetrators of recent criminal activities that include the burning and looting of private property.
NM/as/APA