COSATU urges workers to reject “fabricated” 30 June deadline
Xenophobia is “intended to distract attention from the abject failures of government” says COSATU’s Malvern de Bruyn
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COSATU Western Cape secretary Malvern de Bruyn says actions by groups like March and March are an attempt to “divide the working class and the poor”. Photos: Liezl Human
- Unions and members of the Western Cape Coalition Against Xenophobia are urging people to reject the “fabricated” deadline of 30 June set by March and March for all undocumented immigrants to leave the country.
- During a press briefing on Monday, COSATU’s Western Cape secretary said that actions by groups like March and March are “intended to distract attention from the abject failures of government”.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday cautioned those participating in protests tomorrow that while South Africans have a right to protest, “freedom of expression does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence”.
COSATU and the Western Cape Coalition Against Xenophobia (WCC-AX) are calling on the government and South Africans to stand against escalating threats of violence against African immigrants. They have urged people to reject the “fabricated” deadline of 30 June set by March and March for all undocumented immigrants to leave the country.
During a press briefing at Community House on Monday, Malvern de Bruyn, COSATU Western Cape secretary, said xenophobic threats are “intended to distract attention from the abject failures of government, over more than 30 years, to build an economy that works for ordinary people”.
He said actions by groups like March and March are an attempt to “divide the working class and the poor”.
COSATU called on workers to be “vigilant” on Tuesday and report any criminal activities to authorities. COSATU also called on employers to be understanding of employees who could not go to work due to any action.
Lorna Houston, from the WCC-AX, said, “The idea that migrants are responsible for the problems we face in South Africa is an effort at scapegoating and directing attention away from capitalist exploitation, inequality, corruption, and government failures.”
Houston said that the deadline that March and March set was “unconstitutional”.
“It presents an unconditional attack on human rights and dignity … The state has a specific obligation to protect and promote human rights for everyone,” she said.
Danmore Chuma, from Chronicles of Refugees and Immigrants, an affiliate of WCC-AX, said he was concerned about the reports of undocumented immigrants recently getting “harassed and arrested by the police” since this “legitimised” actions by March and March.
“We call upon the government not to be complicit,” he said.
Chuma said he was “disturbed” to see that thousands of Africans are forced to be repatriated despite “contributing to the economic development and social development of the country”.
Danmore Chuma, from Chronicles of Refugees and Immigrants, addressing the media at a briefing on Monday.
Across the country, in Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Johannesburg, thousands of immigrants have been displaced and are awaiting repatriation to their countries of origin.
A statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday noted that while South Africans have a right to protest, “freedom of expression does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence”.
Ramaphosa said the country’s “immigration system requires substantial reform”.
“We are strengthening border management, increasing enforcement against undocumented immigration, improving the integrity of the asylum and visa systems, and taking action against corruption that has weakened immigration control.”
“Some foreign nationals who live in South Africa are here lawfully. They work, study, raise families, invest in our economy and contribute positively to our society. They too are entitled to the protection of our laws and our Constitution,” he said.
Women on Farms Project, an NGO representing farm workers, in a press statement also rejected the “unlawful deadline” and condemned the xenophobic violence across the country.
“Women farm workers know that it is not other poor, vulnerable African women who are to blame for their precarious employment on farms, low wages, and landlessness,” said WFP.
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