IMMIGRANTS TARGETED: The anti-immigrant violence that erupted last week in the Alexandra township of Johannesburg, South Africa, has spread to other areas of the city. Police report that 22 are dead and more than 200 have been arrested.

Thousands of immigrants fled their ramshackle squatter towns outside Johannesburg after South Africans ran them out. Looters also targeted businesses owned by immigrants, although many are legal residents. About 6,000 immigrants wait in churches and police stations for the violence to die down.

Immigrants Come to South Africa in Search of Work

About three million Zimbabweans make up the bulk of the immigrants in South Africa. Zimbabwe is in the grip of its own political and economic crisis, compelling people to cross the border into South Africa in search of work and food.

Though the majority of immigrants in South Africa are from neighboring countries, many have come from all over the world to seek a better life.

South Africa is the most prosperous country in the region, with an annual economic growth rate of 5% for the last four years. This apparently healthy economic climate has not translated into jobs, especially for the poor and uneducated. The government faces major challenges if it hopes to calm the population:

• Unemployment: The official unemployment rate in South Africa is 23%—many say it’s much higher.
• Food Crisis: The cost of food is rapidly rising in South Africa, exacerbated by food shortages in other parts of the continent.
• Crime: South Africa’s crime rate is the highest in the world, with 50 murders a day.

South African Leaders Point Fingers

South African President Thabo Mbeki said he would assign a panel of experts to look into the violence. Meanwhile, members of the opposition party in Parliament blamed his administration for:

• poor border control
• failure of government policies
• soft attitude toward Zimbabwe
• corruption in the immigration department

Patricia de Lille, leader of the opposition Independent Democrats, blamed the inability of the African Union to “deal with the rogue leaders who foster instability in their countries and ... drive people to what they think are greener pastures in South Africa, only to find that our own people are struggling….” (AllAfrica.com, 5/19/08)

In response, Obed Bapela of the ruling African National Congress, blamed the large criminal element involved in the violence, pointing out that many of the victims in the attacks were South Africans who refused to target immigrants.

The South Africa Human Rights Commission also blamed the government for refusing to take seriously the increasing signs of xenophobia.

Copyright © 2009 Informify

Sources

South Africa: Legislators Condemn Attacks on Foreigners (allAfrica.com, 5/19/08)

Anti-Immigrant Violence Continues in South Africa (The New York Times, 5/20/08)

Attacks on refugees in South Africa rising (United Press International, 5/19/08)

So. Africa fights anti-foreigner attacks (Associated Press, 5/19/08)

Question for Readers:

Immigration is a big issue here in the U.S. Do you think the violence that occurred in South Africa could happen here?