South Africa has repatriated 5,645 foreigners since the
end of xenophobic attacks in late April, the government
said yesterday. A Minister in the Presidency, Jeff
Radebe, who said this in a statement, added that the
foreigners chose to leave South Africa voluntarily.
Malawians made up the bulk of the foreigners,
numbering 3,506, followed by Zimbabweans (1,440)
Mozambicans (682), while Tanzanians had (17). Mr.
Radebe said the repatriation process started soon after
the latest spate of xenophobic violence ended in April.
"The Department of Social Development continues to
work closely with other relevant departments, as well as
civil society organisations to provide support to
displaced foreign nationals," Mr. Radebe said. The
official also said over 1,000 foreigners received trauma
counseling.
According to the statement, 10 women with children
under 12 months of which three had just given birth
were flown to their respective countries on their
insistence. Mr. Radebe further said the department
would continue to do its work to ensure that the
underlying socio-economic issues that gave rise to
tensions between South Africans and foreign nationals
were dealt with.
He also defended the current Operation Fiela (meaning
"sweep'' in Sesotho language) launched after the end of
the xenophobia attacks. He said the operation was
meant to address the security challenges in a structured
and coordinated manner.
(NAN)
No comments:
Post a Comment