SA Govt blamed for xenophobic attacks

Tension high in Alexandra Township

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says attacks on foreigners in Sandton's Alexandra township are partly due to the inability of Government to deal with matters effectively.

Commission chief executive, Tseliso Thipanyane, says government is aware of the number of illegal immigrants in the country. He says it needs to address poverty and do more to deal decisively with incidents of xenophobia. He says it is about time ways were found to deal more effectively with them.

Two people have died and hundreds have been displaced after locals started attacking foreigners on Sunday night.

The ANC has called on South Africans to take a stand against xenophobic attacks. In a statement the party urged citizens to view such attacks as hate crimes, it has also urged security agencies to pay due regard to the Constitution when dealing with the matter.

Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has meanwhile asked South Africans to understand what he says is the "political necessity" to accept refugees in the country. Asked at a media briefing at Parliament about the apparent increase in xenophobic attacks on refugees, he said it was a social crime, which was difficult to police using conventional policing methods. He says if foreign nationals commit crime, it is the responsibility of the police to deal with it.

Humanitarian relief organisation, the Red Cross, has meanwhile provided supplies to over 400 foreigners displaced by the attacks.