Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the Cabinet has condemned the opportunistic attempts to hijack the genuine concerns of South Africans.
Image: GCIS
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Thursday said the mobilisation against foreign nationals was a ruse used by some people to mobilise society against the genuine concerns of South Africans.
Speaking to journalists at a post-Cabinet briefing in Parliament, Ntshavheni said the mobilisation wanted the country to go into uproar and create an impression that the government was sitting and doing nothing.
“We have seen consistent attempts to mobilise uprisings in the country. Small or minor issues are used to mobilise the uprisings. They have failed and they will fail this time around,” she said.
The minister further said the Cabinet condemned the opportunistic attempts to hijack the genuine concerns of South Africans about high unemployment, and limited economic opportunities by mobilising South Africans to destabilise the country.
“South Africans are within their right to protest against the spiralling illegal immigration challenge, but violence linked to those protests in the past is not acceptable and law enforcement must deal with the instigators of such violence.”
Ntshavheni added that the State Security Agency was monitoring and understanding the underlying issues that informed the protests.
She also said the Cabinet has communicated with law enforcement departments to ensure that the perpetrators and instigators were brought to book.
“You can't have people willy-nilly deciding to attack others with no basis of the attack based on sentiment. This is also related to the tribal mobilisation that is happening,” she said.
“There is a group that wants to mobilise people around a particular language. If you can't speak that language, you are deemed a foreign national and you are undocumented,” she said in reference to non-isiZulu speakers who found themselves asked to produce passports by the anti-illegal immigrant groups.
The Cabinet condemned the viral circulation of fake videos and images claiming to be of attacks on foreign nationals in the country.
“The fake videos and images are not only fake, but they are intended to undermine the good reputation of South Africa internationally and undermine South Africa’s pursuit of a better Africa agenda,” said Ntshavheni.
Khumbudzo noted reports that Ghana has written to the African Union (AU), wanting the reports on foreign nations to be on the agenda of its upcoming meeting.
“Our position is that we have nothing to hide as the South African government. We will provide, if the AU puts the matter on the agenda, a report, including facts that there are no xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
She acknowledged that there have been attacks on foreign nationals.
“That is unfortunate and law enforcement has to do their work. We have been insisting on them to do their work,” said the minister.
Ntshavheni dismissed a suggestion that the government was not responding decisively to the concerns of the anti-immigration groupings.
“It is not true that the government is not doing its part. This is the very same government that established the Border Management Authority to strengthen the ports of entry. It is this government that has done investigations, arrested people and fired people for corruption in the borders,” she said, adding that the BMA has deported more than 500 000 illegal immigrants.
She mentioned last year’s intervention aimed at South Africans to register their spaza shops.
“It is South Africans who choose to sub-lease the licences when the by-laws say you can't sub-lease. It is the same government that has intervention through the Small Business Department to support informal and small businesses to do their businesses, including spazas, hair salons, motor mechanics, panel beaters and others,” she said.
“We have gone further to say we need to revise the immigration laws. We have a draft White Paper on Immigration and Refugee Protection.
Ntshavheni said the 10 000 labour inspectors to be appointed by the Employment and Labour Department will assist with the intensification of labour inspections at workplaces.
"Cabinet has directed the Department of Employment and Labour to intensify inspections of workplaces to ensure compliance with employment laws across vulnerable sectors such as hospitality, farms, trucking, and construction amongst others".