Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Johannesburg (Agenzia Fides)- A year after xenophobe violence against immigrants in South Africa (see Fides 26 and 29 May 2008), embers of xenophobe intolerance appear to be glowing among the ashes.
In Cape Town the targets are immigrant shopkeepers mostly Somalis who fled civil war in their country. Shops owners of some of the poorest districts of Cape Town held meetings to discuss how to get rid of shops run by foreigners. In mid June, Somali shops keepers in one of these districts received threatening letters, giving them a few days to close and move away. Foreign shopkeepers, two from Somalia, one from Zimbabwe and one from Bangladesh, were victims of the latest episodes of intolerance towards immigrants.
The association of Somali immigrants in South Africa has denounced the situation of impunity which protects people who commit xenophobe crimes. This attitude is intensified by the local authorities' behaviour towards Zimbabwe refugees.
Several human rights groups in South Africa criticised the arrest last week of more than 300 people, mainly exiles from Zimbabwe, who had taken refuge at Johannesburg Central Methodist Church.
The police raided the church in the early hours of Saturday 4 July, following numerous complaints by district shopkeepers of cases of “vagrancy”. Most of the persons arrested were refugees from Zimbabwe, including women and children. Some of them were seriously ill. They included a blind and deaf South African woman, a South African man with acute psychosis, a pregnant mother and at least 10 children. In total number of 344 people were forced to leave the church.
According to information collected by Medicines Sans Frontiers, which operates in the area, policemen pushed many of the people to the ground threatening some with electric guns.
The church offered shelter to about 4,000 exiles mainly from Zimbabwe, who fled their homes and came to South Africa in search of safety and work. Most of the Zimbabweans sheltering in the church fled their country last year because of post-election violence, more recently others fled their country's economic collapse. Once in South Africa the refugees find little opportunity for work and widespread xenophobe attitude. Consequently the Christian churches, including the local Catholic community, are the ones who offer food and medical care to most of the exiles from Zimbabwe. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 7/7/2009 righe 33 parole 430)
