Simon Nare
Former African Union Commission chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said that anger and violence directed at foreign nationals by anti-immigration protesters could seriously damage South Africa’s tourism sector.
In an interview with Inside Politics on a wide range of issues, the former minister said that while she supported efforts to remove people who were in the country illegally, she abhorred the manner in which some foreign nationals were being violently treated.
Her warning comes as threats, intimidation and violence continue to occur ahead of the 30 June “deadline” set by anti-illegal immigration groups for foreign nationals who are in the country illegally to leave South Africa.
Police are preparing for the deadline through the deployment of officers at strategic locations. The army is also expected to be on standby should its support be required.
Dlamini-Zuma said it was important for people to enter countries legally and respect the laws of other countries, but, she added, “It is not legal to go around asking people for their IDs when you are not part of law enforcement.”
“My view is, yes, it is wrong to come into a country illegally. People must obey the laws of the country. Equally, we shouldn’t be going around beating up people,” she said.
She acknowledged the difficulty government faced in monitoring people who entered the country legally but later overstayed, thereby rendering their stay illegal.
She said about 70% of tourists who visit South Africa are from the African continent, and that scenes of Africans being violently targeted in the flare-up of xenophobia over the last few months could deter people from visiting the country.
According to tourism information, the vast majority of people who visit South Africa are from the continent, particularly from the Southern African Development Community, which accounts for more than 75%.
“If we are seen to be anti-African, some of them may decide that it is not a place to go to. We seem to think that Africans who come here, come here to take something from us. We forget that there are more Africans who come here to give something.
“Tourists come, they pay for hotels. African tourists spend more money than other tourists because they buy things that they can’t find anywhere else. Some of them carry empty suitcases to come and shop here.
“So, this (flare-up in anti-foreigner sentiment) is going to impact tourists.”
She said that South Africa could not isolate itself from the rest of the continent, and that development across Africa required countries to move forward together.
Dlamini-Zuma said that during her tenure as chairperson of the African Union Commission, the issue of the free movement of people across the continent was discussed at length by government officials, but little progress was made. She said only a few countries signed an agreement on such, and that it was not fully implemented.
She said that if more countries signed, it would have allowed people to travel across the continent without needing visas. This, she said, would have encouraged people to travel across Africa with proper documentation.
“I think we must give the government an opportunity now that the government has started to deporting those who are illegal in the country,” she said.
She appealed for there to be no bloodshed as 30 June approached.
INSIDE POLITICS
