Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has seemingly made an about-turn regarding the presence of foreign nationals in the city. He insists his comments that migrants were responsible for the inner city crime were taken out of context.
Mashaba made the remarks in December at an e
vent marking his 100 days in office.
In the wake of Mashaba’s remarks, the African Diaspora Forum lodged a complaint with the HRC.
“I condemn Xenophobia in all its manifestations and I will ensure those who intend perpetuating violence against migrants face the full might of the law. At the same time, I am committed that the rule of law is applied in our city and that no criminal, whether from SA or any other country, feels safe on our streets. I welcome foreign nationals into our city and our country. All I ask is that those who visit do so lawfully and while they’re here they respect the laws of the country,” said Mashaba.
“Migrants who are criminals should be isolated and we all know where they belong. When we catch a criminal let us send him straight to jail. When we find a migrant who is undocumented, it might be the fault of government that people are not document. Let us work together; let us encourage government to give documents. People are fighting at refugee reception offices to get the documents and government is failing them,” Marc Gbaffou of African Diaspora Forum.
However, Mashaba has again accused Home Affairs’ of failing to document people timeously. He said the issue was exacerbated by allegations of bribery and corruption. As part of the HRC recommendations, the parties will meet monthly.
