The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) is seriously disturbed by the unfortunate resurgence of xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals by South Africans that are spreading across the country’s towns and cities.
What is most disturbing is the lukewarm response by the South African authorities in protecting the foreign nationals, most of whom are economic refugees eking out an honest living.
South Africa has an obligation to uphold Article 3 (a) and (f) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which encourages greater unity and solidarity between African States and African people, as well as the promotion of peace, security and stability on the continent.
The gruesome attacks on the foreigners call for urgent action, not lip service from authorities in Pretoria, who also have an obligation to protect foreigners under international law.
As a member of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), South African authorities are aware of the provisions of the SADC Treaty Article 5.2(d) that encourages the “elimination of all obstacles to free movement of capital and labour, goods and services and of the people of the region generally among member states,” as well as the SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons signed on 18 August 2005, of which it is a signatory.
Migrant workers in South Africa are largely not there by choice but because of difficult conditions in their respective countries, conditions which were created by poor governance, which should be a collective responsibility of all African nations.
It is painful to note that most of those under siege in South Africa are workers who were retrenched as companies closed down due to bad policies by their governments. However, some are honest business people contributing greatly to the South African economy.
We also note that during the last attacks in 2008,2015 and 2017 the South African authorities did very little to investigate and bring to book the culprits. This lack of political will resulted in the perpetrators believing that they can repeat xenophobic acts with impunity.
South Africa’s success and independence is because of migrant labour and the sacrifice of frontline states in the fight against apartheid. Since time immemorial, migrant labour has been part and parcel of Southern Africa. What is happening now is highly unfortunate and a dangerous attack on Pan Africanism.
Article 4 of the African Charter states that “human beings are inviolable. Every human being shall be entitled to respect for his life and the integrity of his person. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of this right”.
The ZCTU is worried by claims by the malcontents that migrants deal in drugs and prostitution as justification for the attacks. It is the work of the police to root out criminals not for people to take the law into their hands. The ZCTU is of the firm belief that these are just flimsy justifications by criminals with deep hatred for fellow Africans and are now making it an annual festival to torture and butcher foreign nationals.
ZCTU firmly believes that it is high time SADC and the African Union enforce governance protocols so that nations can be held accountable for violations against their own citizens and foreign nationals to avoid future disturbances.
We also call upon the South African government to put in place practical policies that safeguard migrants and bring a lasting solution to the ever resurfacing xenophobic attacks.
Japhet Moyo
SECRETARY GENERAL
