Pretoria, May 27, ZANIS - The violence against foreign nationals that have wracked South Africa for the past fortnight is under control, said Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula on Monday.
"I do believe the situation is under control ... the violence has subsided," said Minister Nqakula at a briefing at the Union Buildings, following an inter-governmental task team meeting with President Thabo Mbeki.
The team, which was established shortly after violent attacks erupted in Johannesburg's Alexandra township, briefed President Mbeki on progress made following the attacks as well as to deal with welfare issues resulting from the attacks.
Referring to statistics, Mr Nqakula said to date 1 384 suspects have been arrested for their involvement in the violence and robberies, in which 342 shops belonging to foreign nationals across the country had been looted while 213 had been burnt down.
The death toll following the attacks stood at 56.
"To date 1 384 suspects have been arrested. Many of them were involved in violence and robbery," he said.
Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils, who was present at the briefing, said that just because the situation was under control did not mean sporadic attacks could not still take place.
Should this happen government would respond accordingly, Mr Kasrils said.
The intelligence services are also working around the clock to establish the cause of the recent attacks on foreign nationals.
In the last few weeks, the violence has impacted severely on schooling.
According to the Gauteng Department of Education, while things are gradually getting back to normal, there was a high absenteeism rate reported - as both teachers and pupils continue to stay away.
"In Alexandra it affected schooling for two weeks, but when the attacks spread to Reiger Park, the situation became worse; the attacks took place during the day and learners were caught up in the crossfire," Department spokesperson, Panyaza Lesufi said.
According to reports, about 25 000 Zimbabweans were expected to head for Zambia as they fled the violence, while at least 5 500 had received assistance to reach Mozambique.
In Pretoria over 800 people, including children, were given shelter after they camped outside the UN High Commission for Refugees following the looting of their homes and shops.
According to the UNHCR, the majority were documented refugees and asylum seekers from Somalia, Rwanda, Malawi, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo who lost their belongings in the violence in Mpumalanga and northern Gauteng.
In Cape Town, the municipality is continuing to accommodate people who have fled from the violence in six temporary safety sites around the metro region, as well as in many community halls across the city.
“We have carried out this operation in terms of our disaster relief function as a local government, which is to return stability to our communities, protect the safety of people threatened by violence, and address humanitarian needs,” the City’s Mayor Helen Zille said in a statement.
Following this operation, she said the municipality would support the re-integration of people who wished to return to their homes in Cape Town.
“We will also support efforts to return those displaced foreign nationals who wish to return to their home countries,” she said, adding that the process of re-integrating displaced people into their communities will require a peace-keeping force to be deployed to the most sensitive hot-spots around the city.
Meanwhile, the Director General in the Presidency, Reverend Frank Chikane, has called on communities to rekindle the spirit of ubuntu.
Addressing the Presidency staff during the annual Africa Day celebration event, Rev Chikane condemned the recent spate of attacks.
In his address, the DG encouraged staff to work hand-in-hand with communities to stem the tide of hate-inspired attacks on foreigners.
The DG encouraged staff and all South Africans to use their expertise and knowledge to assist people in the townships claim their rights in a peaceful and democratic manner.
Rev Chikane also encouraged all South Africans to lend a helping hand to those who survived the attacks of the past two weeks.
He said these heinous crimes were committed by a minority of South Africans, and expressed regret at the fact that the actions of a few, were impacting negatively on the integrity of all South Africans.
This speech to the Presidency staff comes in the wake of the President’s address to the nation on Sunday in which Mr Mbeki vociferously condemned the recent attacks on foreign nationals.
Warning of a return to the country's violent past in its struggle against apartheid, President Mbeki said the unrest had damaged the image of the country while branding the violence as an "absolute disgrace".
"Never since the birth of our democracy have we witnessed such callousness. We must view the events of the past two weeks as an absolute disgrace," President Mbeki said.
[BuaNews]
