By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nabeela Tunis has said government is concerned about the ongoing persecution of African immigrants in South Africa.
The persecution which started early this week has already claimed five lives and displaced hundreds of foreign nationals.
Speaking to Politico in a telephone interview, Tunis said: “We are concerned as a government about the situation in South Africa.”
She added that Sierra Leone has already reached out to enquire about the wellbeing of its citizens Soiuth Africa,
“The Director General has reached out to the mission covering South Africa, which is in Adis Ababa. And so far, we have not heard any news regarding any harm to our citizens.”
It is not clear how many Sierra Leoneans are in South Africa. Tunis said: “We do not have specific figures regarding our citizens. You know they don’t register with the embassy in Ethiopia. But there are certainly Sierra Leoneans there.”
Sierra Leone does not have an embassy in South Africa. South Africa do not have an embassy in Sierra Leone either. The South African Honorary Consulate in Freetown told Politico that they have no information to give regarding the current situation.
Sierra Leoneans who aspire to go to South Africa mostly go to the country for business and education.
The violence erupted as a result of major discontent among local South Africans who feel their jobs are being taken by immigrants. South Africa has one of the continent’s richest economy, this has attracted huge number of migrants travelling to the country for business and other opportunities.
Nigerians have been among the most affected by the persecution.
The violence has taken the form of looting and burning businesses. The attacks have provoked widespread condemnation across Africa. The fallout has hit South African businesses and sports. MTN and Shoprite have closed their businesses in Nigeria in fear of reprisal attacks. It followed reports that the offices of MTN, which is owned by South Africans, was attacked in Nigeria.
In football, Zambia has cancelled a friendly match scheduled with South Africa this weekend.
Nigerian Music star, Tiwa Savage, has also cancelled a gig she was supposed to do in South Africa later this year.
Burna Boy, another popular Nigerian Afropop star, said he will never visit South Africa again until authorities there “Wake up”.
Amidst the global condemnation of the xenophobic attacks, the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa has spoken out against bad treatment of foreigners.
"Taking action against people from other nations is not justified and should never be allowed in our beautiful country ... We need to quell those incidents of unrest," Ramaphosa said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Africa.
"South Africa must be a country where everyone feels safe, including women and foreign nationals," he added.
Government officials in South Africa have arrested more than 300 people in response to the violence.
© 2019 Politico Online
