The government of South Africa has
pleaded with Nigeria and other nations in Africa affected by the ongoing xenophobic attacks
in the country. ECOWAS has condemned the attacks and
demanded urgent actions from the South African government.
South Africa’s Minister of
International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Emily Nkoana-Mashabane, who met
with Ambassadors and High Commissioners from African countries in South Africa,
noted that “it is therefore with a deep sense of pain and regret that we
as the South African Government humbled ourselves before the African diplomatic
community; and we expressed, through them, our heartfelt apologies to the
African continent and people for the actions of those of our citizens who have
behaved in a shameful manner”.
“In the new Constitution of our free
and democratic South Africa, we made a promise to ourselves and to the world
that we would remain committed to the values of human dignity, the achievement
of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms, non-racialism,
non-sexism and the rule of law”.
“Furthermore, at the core of our
foreign policy is the commitment we have made to the world that we will always
prioritise Africa in all our endeavours because we are an integral part of the
African continent”.
Jonathan-and-zuma
“South Africa’s transition to
democracy was one of the world’s most iconic testimonies of tolerance and
peaceful co-existence, ” she stressed.
She assured that as directed by
President Jacob Zuma, the South African Government is implementing a series of
measures aimed at bringing an immediate halt to all the violence, looting and
displacement of individuals and families, adding that practical measures
are being taken by the security agencies to bring to justice those who are
responsible for the violence and related criminal acts.
“The South African Government will
also do everything within its power to ensure the safety of all citizens and
foreign nationals irrespective of their status. South Africa is a multicultural
society that welcomes and promotes interaction among people of different
backgrounds,” she said.
She added that South Africa
will not forget the hospitality and support it received from fellow Africans
during the difficult times of anti-apartheid liberation struggle in the
country, stressing that it was Africa nations that opened their doors and
became home for many South Africans who fled the persecution of the apartheid
government.
“It is in this regard that South
Africa has since the advent of democratic governance in 1994, worked cordially
with fellow African countries to consolidate bilateral relations that are
flourishing politically, economically and socially”.
“Ubuntu is the central concept of
social and political organisation in the African global outlook, consisting of
the principles of sharing and caring for one another.
This is better captured in the
Sepedi adage Motho ke motho ka batho, which means, generally speaking, that to
be human is to affirm one’s humanity by recognising the humanity of others and
establish mutually respectful relations with them,” she said.
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