Online Reporter
Mashudu Netsianda, [email protected]
THE South African government has condemned rising attacks on suspected foreign nationals, warning that tribal mobilisation and vigilantism threaten to destabilise the country.
Speaking on recent incidents circulating on social media, South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said some groups were targeting people based on language and ethnicity, with individuals being wrongly accused of being undocumented migrants.
“You can’t have people willy-nilly deciding to attack others with no basis for the attack, but based on a sentiment,” she said.
Ntshavheni said there was an emerging trend where people who could not speak a particular language were immediately labelled foreigners.
She cited a recent incident involving a Venda-speaking South African man who was allegedly harassed and asked to produce a passport despite presenting a South African identity document.
“In one of the videos, there’s a Venda guy who they want a passport for (sic). And he tells them, ‘But I am Venda, so I will not have a passport, I have an ID,’” she said.
According to the minister, the man was only rescued after community members intervened.
Ntshavheni described the anti-foreigner mobilisation as “a ruse” aimed at exploiting genuine frustrations among South Africans over unemployment and economic hardships.
“There are problems in South Africa of high unemployment. There are problems of employers choosing to employ foreign nationals because they can abuse them for cheap labour without following the labour laws of the country,” she said.
Ntshavheni questioned claims that South Africans were unwilling to take certain jobs, arguing that many citizens remained desperate for employment opportunities.
The minister also called on South Africans to comply with government regulations affecting informal businesses, including the requirement for spaza shops and traders to obtain business and trading licences.
Ntshavheni noted that government had introduced registration fee waivers last year and only required proof of legal residence for compliance.
She further clarified South Africa’s position on refugees, saying legally recognised refugees were entitled to work and run businesses because the country integrates refugees into communities rather than placing them in camps.
“True refugees that are fleeing for one reason or another and have been registered in accordance with South African law and international law as refugees, they are allowed to do business in South Africa and to find employment in South Africa,” she said.
Ntshavheni’s remarks come amid growing tensions in parts of South Africa over immigration, unemployment and crime, with authorities increasingly warning against xenophobia and mob justice.
