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H o m e P r o g r a m m e s P u b l i c a t i o n s T h e m e s E v e n t s e G r o u p L i n k s F u n d i n g Agencies
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Subject: VIOLENT ATTACKS ON FOREIGN NATIONALS IN SOUTH AFRICA In May 2008 a wave of shockingly violent attacks hit South Africa. This took place mainly around Johannesburg and some parts of Gauteng Province. The attacks began in Alexandra, which is one of the biggest townships in Johannesburg. Some reports indicated that provinces such as Mpumalanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal and North West Provinces were similarly affected. The violent attacks mainly targeted foreign nationals although some local citizens coming from other provinces, particularly Limpopo were attacked as well. At least 50 people were killed and although there are conflicting reports, about 16 000-25 000 people were displaced (Human Science Research Council: HSRC, 2008). Out of this number, 10 000 took refuge in police stations across Gauteng Province. Black people constituted the majority of the people who were displaced and killed. More than 550 people were injured and 520 suspected perpetrators were arrested. The situation was so serious that the state was forced to house victims of violent attacks in some temporal refugee camps across Gauteng province, which was the hardest hit. The media defined the attacks as xenophobic attacks. On the other hand, the South African government viewed the attacks as criminal and orchestrated by a "third force" that wanted to discredit the government ahead of the 2009 elections. In an attempt to deal with the crisis the government deployed the army to support the South Africa Police Services. Social commentators and analysts blamed the attacks on the South African government, arguing that it failed to put proactive measures in place to deal with the attacks. There are also claims that the government knew about the attacks and just did not take any action. Civil society organizations, particularly the South African Race Relations Institute went further to blame the government for policy failures that led to socio-economic decline. Former Cabinet minister, Kader Asmal, called upon the government to declare an amnesty for migrants who were in the country without legal documents. Subsequently, the government granted special temporary permits to most of the victims. The intensity and scale of the xenophobic attacks raised a number of urgent questions. Why were African migrants the targets of violence, especially in informal settlements? How do we explain the timing, location and scale of the outbreaks? Was this sudden and unexpected? What were the causes of this violence? A study conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in June 2008 recommended re-integration as a way of ensuring that people from other countries were accepted in communities within South Africa. The major challenge with the strategy was buy-in from both the victims and communities they came from. Some victims felt it was difficult to move back to communities that once saw them as a source of their pain, loss and dehumanizing suffering. As such it was difficult for people to trust and feel safe again. In November 2009, The South Africa Young Voices Network (SAYVON) in collaboration with the University of Venda's Centre for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation (CRDPA) carried out a study designed to investigate the extent to which re-integration of foreign nationals was carried out. The study was carried out in some parts of Vhembe District and sought to assess the effectiveness of the re-integration of foreign nationals and what could be done to prevent future attacks. main activitiesYoung people in the Vembe District, Limpopo Province, have been mobilised to support integration of the foreign nationals that were affected by the 2008 xenophobic attacks. Some of the key activities engaged by SAYVON are:
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about us members milestones press office contact us |
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H o m e P r o g r a m m e s P u b l i c a t i o n s T h e m e s E v e n t s e G r o u p L i n k s F u n d i n g Agencies
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Copyright © 2006-2010 South African Young Voices Network. All rights reserved. |
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The Regional Youth Hearing took place in Johannesburg, South Africa on 28 November 2008 at the Kliptown Freedom Square/Walter Sisulu Square.
SAYVON features two research papers published by the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa:
