afrol News, 16 June - President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has admitted the fact that his country was shamed by the last month's deadly xenophobic violence against African nationals, urging youths celebrating the National Youth Day at the University of Western Cape on Monday to stand up against perpetrators of the "barbaric" and "cowardly" attacks.

June 16th - also called the Day of African Child - is set aside to reflect on the souls of over a thousand armless students killed by trigger-happy South African police for merely protesting against the use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in schools in Soweto in 1976. The day is celebrated throughout the African continent.

President Mbeki told the youths to be wary of their responsibility to protect foreign nationals instead of harming them. Mr Mbeki therefore tasked youths to help educate all South Africans to accept foreigners.

"One of your immediate and critical responsibilities is to protect our fellow Africans who live in our country from the cowardly attacks by criminals, which we have seen here in Cape Town and other parts of our country in the last few weeks," he said, explaining how the recent xenophobic attacks shamed the country.

"At the same time, we must admit that all of us have been humiliated and shamed by the small number of young people who recently took it upon themselves to lead the criminal acts against fellow Africans who live amongst us, and participated in looting their property."

The inter-ministerial team tasked with investigating the causes of the xenophobic attacks has issued a preliminary report, blaming youths for being elements behind the violence, whose flames started in Alexandra.

Mbeki also urged young people to join the government's struggle for development by confronting illiteracy and lack of skills. He appealed to them to respect the law, avoid drugs, alcohol and the abuse of women and children.

Like other South African cities, Cape Town was not seriously threatened by xenophobic attacks, but its Mayor is worried by the increasing waves of crimes carried out by people under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Helen Zille believed that crime rate would dramatically decrease if drug abuse and trafficking are dealt with since 80% of the crime in Cape town is committed by people under drugs and alcohol influence.

Zille who addresses youths in Valhalla Park says drugs abuse is negatively impacting on South African economy as well as destroying a whole generation of young people.

The xenophobic violence has left the government of South Africa with the huge task of resettling or re-integrating thousands of displaced foreign nationals into the society. But according to the Human Sciences Research Council, it would not be possible to re-integrate the displaced nations under the current conditions.

"If government does not engage with the sentiment being expressed by ordinary residents that foreign nationals should leave the country, the risk is that these feelings of alienation between government and South African citizens will deepen and the possibility of a successful re-integration will be diminished," the Council's report handed over the the Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, concurred.

Skwyiya blamed both the government and the ruling African National Congress for not doing "enough work in educating the masses about the help we received from the Africans during the apartheid era."

South African authorities have been advised to organize a national summit on foreign nationals and immigrants so as to achieve achieve social integration and peaceful coexistence.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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