By Wendy Muperi
HARARE – A group of lawmakers on Wednesday presented a petition to the South African embassy in Harare, calling on the neighbouring country to make concerted efforts to stop xenophobic attacks.
MDC MPs Jessie Majome, James Maridadi, Margaret Matienga, Paurina Mpariwa, senator John Makore and Josephine Chitembwe and Zanu PF MPs Tongesai Mudambo and Shadreck Mashayamombe called South Africa president Jacob Zuma to urgently put in place measures to deal with the horrific attacks that have so far killed five people and internally displaced 800 others, according to the Foreign Affairs ministry.
“We the undersigned Members of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, gravely concerned and horrified by the reports of brutal attacks and the slaughter of foreign Africans in South Africa motivated by xenophobia, apprehensive that large numbers of Zimbabweans from the constituencies we represent and their family members who live, work, study and travel to South Africa are in grave and mortal danger; therefore petition the government of South Africa that it urgently takes decisive and effective measures to stop the slaughter of Zimbabweans and fellow African foreign brothers and sisters, attacks and threats on them and all manner of insecurity on them, based on xenophobia,” the petition read.
The legislators demanded that SA inform them of the measures it has taken and the outcome thereof to stop xenophobia and attacks on Zimbabweans and fellow foreign African brothers and sisters, the petition said.
A wave of xenophobia is spreading in SA resulting in serious anxiety emanating from the exposure of the thousands of economic immigrants in the country.
Some countries like Malawi and Somalia have already begun expatriating their citizens while Zimbabwe reportedly put together a taskforce to mobilise resources to bankroll a similar operation.
Zuma said in an interview with the SABC on Wednesday night: ‘‘We are aware of the frustrations that people have been voicing and perhaps we as the government have not been very quick in addressing these issues. He said the violence and looting — in which at least five people have been killed and hundreds displaced — was not acceptable”.
‘‘I can’t accept that when there are challenges we use violence, particularly against our brothers and sisters from the continent. We have said before, when we were in trouble they helped us to fight for our own liberation and did not chase us away, and therefore it’s important to bear this in mind.’’
Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Zimbabwe’s Foreign minister, said an inter-ministerial team has been put together to expeditiously put in place the logistics as well as the resources necessary for the exercise in close liaison with Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (the Forum) yesterday dared Mugabe to take a lead in addressing xenophobia.
“Most Zimbabweans in foreign lands are not there by choice but have been driven out of Zimbabwe by the deteriorating economic conditions, human rights violations and unemployment,” said the NGO Forum.
“The Forum calls upon President Robert Mugabe as the Sadc and AU Chairperson to take urgent measures to rescue Zimbabwe citizens from these brutal attacks and to also play his role in ensuring the safety of Sadc and African nationals currently at peril in South Africa.” Daily News
