TWS||Nicholas
Waigwa
131 Civil
Society Organizations have ahead of the 25th
Session of the Assembly of the African Union, scheduled to take place on
Sunday 14 and Monday 15th June 2015 written to the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Dr. Nkosana
Dlamini Zuma, expressing deep concern over the resurgence of xenophobic violence
in South Africa.
They termed
as irrelevant, a statement allegedly made by South Africa President Jacob Zuma
during a Freedom Day event in April 2015, where he is said to have said a
Mozambican national Emmanuel who was reportedly killed during xenophobic attacks was an “illegal immigrant using a false name.”
The
Republic of South Africa, has in the first half of 2015 featured prominently on
the global media headlines following a spate of xenophobic attacks against
migrants and refugees predominantly from other African countries.
In the open
letter dated 10th June and presented to the AU Chair on the occasion of
the AU Summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, June 2015, the Civil Society
Organizations say the
immigration status of foreign nationals who are victims of the attacks in South
Africa is immaterial and that South Africa has an obligation to protect all
persons within its borders.
They have
called on the AU, as the body responsible for the promotion of peace, security
and stability in Africa to intervene by compelling the Republic of South Africa
to promote and protect human and peoples' rights in accordance with the African
Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant human rights instruments.
“We urge
the AU to call upon the South African government to take concrete steps to end
these attacks, prosecute perpetrators and protect migrants and refugees living
in their territory from violations of their human rights, including the right
to life.” Read the letter
The Civil
Society Organizations say they are particularly concerned about the loss of
lives, injuries to persons, damage to private property and the infringement of
dignity of migrants and refugees living in South Africa, noting that the right
to life should not to be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment.
Between
2000 and March 2008, at least 67 people died in what were identified as
xenophobic attacks in South Africa. In May 2008, a series of rapid large-scale
attacks left 62 people dead and over 600 injured. Twenty-one of those killed
were South African citizens, apparently because they were perceived as
foreigners. The attacks were linked to xenophobia, and have continued to occur
every year since 2009.
A nationwide
spike in xenophobic attacks against migrants and refugees occurred in January
and again in April 2015, resulting in at least seven verified deaths and at least
5,000 migrants and refugees displaced.
Read the
Joint statement to the AU on Xenophobia HERE
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