Foreigners fear xenophobia as ‘Clean South Africa’ #Sidikiwe campaign hots up
Foreigners living in South Africa are fearing the return of xenophobia as the #23SeptemberCleanSA campaign hots up.
Fed up with crimes such as human trafficking, drugs as well as unemployment and few job and business opportunities, South Africa’s youth is gearing towards mass protests slated for 23 and 28 September. They accuse some foreigners of perpetrating crimes in South Africa.
Organisers of the campaign, #PutSouthAfricansFirst movement are calling the South African government to reserve jobs and informal businesses for South Africans as well as deporting illegal immigrants, enacting stricter immigration laws and tightening borders.
Involvement of celebrities
South African influencers and celebrities have also thrown their weight behind the PutSouthAfricansFirst movement with musician Lvovo being one of the recognisable figures. He even changed his Twitter name to #PutSouthAfricansFirst.
Politicians support the movement
Opposition politician and Action SA leader Herman Mashaba has been supporting the movement and his party’s selling points are aligned to the objectives of the Put South Africans First Movement, seeking to amend the ‘broken’ immigration laws and enforcement methods currently in place. In his response to the planned demonstrations, the former Johannesburg Premier says he doesn’t condone violence.
I do not condone violence in any form against any person or group. My issue is not with foreign nationals, but with a broken immigration system and government that has allowed criminality to flourish, he said.
Read More: Freeze assets of ZANU-PF leaders in SA and ban them from entering our country: Herman Mashaba
Foreigners living in fear
The Nigerian Union SA (Nusa) has warned that a planned march to the Nigerian embassy in Pretoria this week to protest against crime has strong xenophobic overtones and could spark violence.
A pamphlet for the protest, planned by an organisation called Action for Change (AFC), reads: #SaveOurChildren their lives matter too. No to GBV. No to human trafficking. Put South Africans First. We can’t be silenced anymore. We plead to all South Africans to come and join us as we do a demonstration protest on the Nigerian Embassy.”
Read More: Put South Africans First Movement: How it started, what you need to know
Read More: Frustrated SA youth convince their parents to stop voting for ANC
The pamphlets have been distributed across the country calling upon South Africans to ‘reclaim their country.’
Foreigners fear xenophobia as ‘Clean South Africa’ #Sidikiwe campaign hots up