In a dramatic show of outrage at the recent surge in anti-immigrant militancy in South Africa, African ambassadors plan to boycott the country’s main Africa Day event in North West tomorrow.
The snub is a slap in the face for the government’s attempts to downplay the marches and protests in which citizens from other African countries have been harassed, assaulted and made to produce documents showing they are legally resident.
March organisers say they are acting to curb an influx of undocumented migrants, who they claim are taking jobs from locals and putting severe strain on health and education services.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and some of his ministers have condemned the protests and maintained that the general population is not xenophobic, but other governments on the continent remain deeply concerned.
André Nzapayeke, ambassador of the Central African Republic and dean of the African ambassadorial corps, told the Sunday Times yesterday the decision to stay away from the event at a stadium in Moruleng was prompted by fears for the safety of non-locals.
Ironically, the keynote speaker will be PA leader Gayton McKenzie, in his capacity as minister of arts, culture & sport, who frequently makes critical statements about illegal migrants.
“There will be thousands of people attending and we cannot give these people assurance that they will be secured. We will be putting all the people at risk,” Nzapayeke said. “It was a collective decision. It didn’t seem reasonable to put people attending at risk.”
Earlier, African ambassadors drafted a statement — which was not widely circulated — condemning the latest wave of violence and threats against African immigrants.
The statement reads in part: “The group of African ambassadors and high commissioners accredited to the Republic of South Africa has followed with deep concern the recent incidents of xenophobic violence, intimidation and hostility directed at African migrants and other foreign nationals residing in various parts of South Africa.”
It says no grievance, whether social or economic, “can justify the targeting of innocent persons, the destruction of livelihoods, or the creation of an atmosphere of fear and exclusion for law-abiding migrants who live, work, study and contribute meaningfully to South African society”.
The envoys say African nationals in South Africa range from labourers and students to professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, investors and skilled workers. Their lawful presence “forms part of the broader web of continental integration that the AU and regional economic communities have long sought to promote”.
The statement says every state has the right to regulate migration in accordance with domestic law and international obligations, but takes a thinly veiled swipe at the bureaucratic hurdles and corruption faced by immigrants.
African ambassadors and high commissioners ... have followed with deep concern the recent incidents of xenophobic violence, intimidation and hostility directed at African migrants
— Statement by African envoys
“It is essential that migration governance systems remain transparent, efficient, corruption-free and sufficiently robust to distinguish clearly between lawful migrants and criminal elements who often exploit administrative weaknesses for illicit purposes.
“A credible and well co-ordinated migration management framework, supported by accurate documentation and verifiable movement records, is indispensable for strengthening public confidence, combating organised criminality and preventing the broad generalisations that too often expose innocent African migrants to stigma and xenophobic reprisals.”
The group calls for a dual approach: “Firm law enforcement against criminality wherever it exists, and equally firm protection of law-abiding foreign nationals against collective blame, intimidation and violence.”
Nzapayeke acknowledged the existence of this statement but said it did not have official status.
“The office of the dean of the African group on behalf of African ambassadors has never circulated this document. Never. We deny any responsibility on this,” he said.
Nzapayeke said the only formal communication sent to the department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) was a message informing minister Ronald Lamola that African ambassadors would not participate in Africa Day celebrations this year “for security reasons”.
The ambassadors’ boycott of the Africa Day event is just one sign of the alarm in African capitals over the treatment of their nationals in South Africa. It illustrates the sharp deterioration in how South Africa is perceived in the rest of the continent since the heady days when Thabo Mbeki promoted an “African Renaissance”.
Earlier this month Ghana said it was evacuating 300 of its citizens from South Africa and asked the AU to host a debate on xenophobia in South Africa at its mid-year co-ordination summit in Cairo next month.
Dirco called the Ghanaian request “regrettable”. If the debate were to go ahead, it would seek to propose an agenda item on “the push and pull factors of migration, including good governance, the rule of law, and democracy”, suggesting that poor political and economic conditions in other African states played a key role in the flow of African migrants to South Africa.
Ramaphosa has blamed “opportunists” for anti-immigrant attacks, saying: “We must make it clear that there is no place in South Africa for xenophobia, ethnic mobilisation, intolerance or violence. The recent attacks of opportunists who are exploiting the legitimate grievances, particularly those of the poor, under the false guise of ‘community activism’.”
But he added that “undocumentd migration places strain on health care, housing and municipal services, particularly in poor communities”, and accused some employers of exploiting “undocumented, cheap foreign labour over hiring citizens and paying them legal wages”.
Speaking at the South Africa–Botswana binational commission summit in Botswana this week, Ramaphosa said the attacks did not reflect government policy or the values of South Africans. While acknowledging concerns around illegal immigration, he called on the government, civil society and migrant communities to work together to combat xenophobia and uphold the dignity of all Africans.
Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has condemned “opportunistic attempts to hijack the concerns of genuine South Africans”. She said the cabinet has requested law enforcement agencies to ensure perpetrators of xenophobic violence were brought to book.
Lamola has engaged with several African ambassadors in recent weeks and travelled to Ghana and Nigeria to meet his counterparts in those countries. Sources said the issue of migration within the region was expected to feature at the Sadc foreign ministers’ meeting in Skukuza this weekend.
Asked about the Africa Day boycott, Lamola’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, told the Sunday Times that Pretoria expected all ambassadors accredited to South Africa to work towards strengthening bilateral relations.
He said the envoys should work collaboratively with the South African government in resolving challenges as they arise.
“Dirco has had a meeting with all ambassadors on the issue of undocumented immigrants and continues to share information and discuss matters brought to our attention. This is alongside direct contact the minister has had with his colleagues on the continent,” Phiri said.
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