President Jacob Zuma was in Harare on Wednesday to discuss the measures of how the South African government is going to deal with the recent wave of xenophobic attacks that occurred in Durban and Johannesburg, leaving at least seven people dead, including four foreign nationals. A number of foreign nationals were moved back to their respective countries. Zimbabwe had about 900 of its people moved back.
According to the president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, Jacob Zuma only discussed a few factors and explained what happened with the attacks.”Zuma just gave us an explanation of what happened and then a further explanation on the measures that his government is taking,” Mugabe said. “They included measures to teach South Africans to treat foreign nationals as if they are part of South Africa and to get locals to fight against people who might want to carry out xenophobic attacks,” Mugabe added. How the 91 year old Zimbabwean leader, current SADC chair sees it, it is such that the people who jump borders are the ones who are making the situation of the South Africans worse.
He further explains that the migrants do not know what they are getting themselves into, his words as quoted: “Go there and you’ll see that the Africans in the country are still raw. It’s the white people who are living better lives, more advanced lives. In Soweto the lives of people are very elementary,” he said.
“Our people should not have the instinct of rushing into South Africa,” he added. “In suggesting that we the neighbours must do what we can to prevent more people going South…try to get those who are in South Africa back home,” he concluded. All in all the summit commended the measures that South Africa has put in place to deal with the violence. The issue will be later discussed in the AU summit in two months’ time.
