Zimcosa calls for an end to violence attacks on Zimbos
TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The Zimbabwe Community in South Africa is calling upon leaders of the host nation to address the anti-immigrants violent attacks on Zimbabweans and bring to book all the culprits behind the mob attacks.
A Zimbabwean national, Elvis Nyathi was set alight and murdered last Wednesday, in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa
Bongani Mkhwananzi, the spokesperson for Zimbabwe Community in South Africa said currently it was a tough time for the Zimbabweans in South Africa who are living with the fact that their permits are not going to be renewed.
“The conditions are harder and when they don’t have these documents they are also being targeted by the community itself. So this is quite a very anxious time for our people,” Mkhwananzi said, urging Zimbabweans to remain calm and desist from retaliating.
He added: “We are trying to conscientise the authorities that these are human beings who might start to do illegal stuff. You know when people want to start to retaliate this can cause further clashes which we don’t need in communities.”
He said fake law enforcement officials have been demanding identity documents from people.
“And we call upon the South African community leaders to start to address this matter .
“The law must applied. A lot of us have these documents but when you are going around, anyone can just ask you, not law enforcement agencies. This is not right and people who are doing this must be brought to book and justice served,” he said.
For years, anti-immigrant sentiments have caused violent clashes in townships and communities around South Africa.
Meanwhile, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa took to his Twitter account saying what the South Africans were doing was a criminal act.
“Attacking those we suspect of wrongdoing merely because they are a foreign national is not an act of patriotism. It is immoral, racist and criminal. In the end, it will lead to xenophobia, whose consequences we have lived through in previous years,” Ramaphosa said.
It is estimated that over 2 million Zimbabweans are living in South after fleeing the deteriorating economic environment.
