Foreigners 'back home' in township
Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane
23 June 2008
About 80 people from other African countries who were victims of the recent xenophobic violence in Mohlaletsi township in Limpopo province say they can call South Africa home again.
Freeman Nyanisi of Zimbabwe told BuaNews last week that the situation in Mohlaletsi, near Groblersdal, had been calm since a special ceremony was held on 8 June to integrate him and other victims of the violence back into the community.
"Everything seems to be fine," Nyanisi said. "No one is intimidating us and police are visiting us regularly to check if we are safe."
He said 22 people from other countries had, however, decided to return to the countries of their birth as their passports were about to expire.
It took the intervention of acting King Kgoshikgolo Kennedy Sekhukhune, executive mayor of the Greater Sekhukhune district municipality Dickson Masemola, and Limpopo acting premier Aaron Motsoaledi, for Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, Zambians and Malawians to be reintegrated into the area.
Masemola's spokesperson, Selby Makgotho, said the 8 June ceremony was held to encourage tolerance among locals.
"It has been two weeks since the ceremony, and [people from other countries] are feeling safe again, proving that the communication between our leaders and residents has been successful," Makgotho said.
Just over 100 people from other countries in the township were attacked as part of a wave of attacks that started in Gauteng in May before spreading to other provinces.
"The three leaders intervened following the displacement of people from other countries after local residents attacked them. Like others elsewhere in the country, these [people] were robbed and had their properties plundered and set alight," Makgotho said.
At the ceremony, Masemola, Motsoaledi and acting King Kgoshikgolo Sekhukhune stressed that South Africa's liberation heroes had been given sanctuary in other African countries while fighting the apartheid system.
These included Lawrence Phokanoka and Flag Boshielo, who were from Limpopo and were trained in Zimbabwe.
Masemola urged the township's residents to allow "these fellow Africans to find comfort among us".
Source: BuaNews
