SA's anti-xenophobia mission 'a PR exercise'

A team of envoys sent by the South African president to express solidarity in the wake of the recent wave of xenophobic violence has been dismissed as a public-relations exercise by the head of a group representing African migrants in South Africa.

The envoys, who will be visiting seven countries including Nigeria, will reassure people “that South Africa is committed to the ideals of pan-African unity and solidarity”, a statement from the South African president’s office says.

Nigeria has been notably outspoken in its condemnation of the trouble.

But Vusumuzi Sibanda, chairperson of the African Diaspora Forum, told the BBC’s Newsday programme that this was about South Africa being “concerned about its image in other countries, it is not a real concern about the people”.

He said the solution was more police action to protect migrant communities in South Africa.

The recent violence, which began a fortnight ago, has seen foreign-owned shops and businesses targeted by mobs.

Twelve people, including two foreign nationals, died in the violence, officials say. The police arrested more than 400 people suspected of being involved in the trouble.

The South African delegation will be visiting Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

But Mr Sibanda asked why the delegation was not going to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi – the countries which have the most migrants in South Africa.

Answering his own question, he said that some of the countries – like DR Congo and Nigeria – were where South Africa had big investments.

Earlier this month, the BBC spoke to foreigners in South Africa caught up in the violence: