ANC accuses IFP of Alex attacks

2008-05-15 07:24

Msimelelo Njwabane

Johannesburg - The ANC in Alexandra was accusing the IFP and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) on Wednesday of being behind the violence against immigrants in the township, north of Johannesburg.

The allegations against the IFP and Sanco were contained in a report by the ANC in Alexandra, which was handed to Johannesburg's Mayor Amos Masondo and five ANC members of the Gauteng legislature Paul Mashatile, Firoz Cachalia, Barbara Creecy, Ignatius Jacobs and Kgagelo Lekgoro in a closed meeting on Wednesday.

According to the ANC's Alexandra branch the IFP and Sanco were determined to drive the immigrants from Alexandra.

In the report, which was seen by Beeld, the ANC said the violent campaign against immigrants began within hours of the local branch of the IFP finishing its general meeting.

Allegations denied

The campaign began from the Nobuhle hostel in the KwaMadala area - the IFP's stronghold in Alexandra.

The vice chairperson of the IFP in Alexandra Nhlanhla Msimango said that these allegations were false.

At least three people were killed, many were injured and hundreds were left homeless because of the violence raging since the weekend.

According to the ANC report, at a meeting on April 6 Sanco undertook "to drive all foreign citizens out of Alexandra".

The report also linked the violence to a meeting earlier this month of the community policing forum of residents of the Beirut informal settlement, where immigrants were blamed for the increasing violence.

Criminal elements

The report furthermore said that the IFP also had undertaken at its meeting last weekend to drive foreigners from Alexandra.

The attacks apparently began shortly after this.

"The attacks are the result of political interference and an opportunistic criminal element which is exploiting the situation," read the ANC report, which did not identify any "key players". But Mashatile later denied that he and five other highly-placed ANC members had been informed about a political motive behind the attacks. "We could not find any political motive, we know the motive is only of a criminal nature".

Vice minister of foreign affairs Aziz Pahad requested in Cape Town on Wednesday that the "possible involvement of other forces" in the xenophobic attacks be investigated.

The DA requested that the military intervene.

Pahad said the latest violence was especially worrying in the light of the country's history and seen against the background that South Africa was the host of the World Conference against Racism in 2001.

Cosatu and the SACP on Wednesday criticised their "own workers" as they were "part of the plundering" after the spate of xenophopic attacks on immigrants in Alexandra.

"When you are hungry, then you don't steal someone's TV or rape their wives", said Dr Blade Nzimande, secretary general of the SACP on Wednesday.

Japhet Khumalo, a Zimbabwean who along with hundreds of other immigrants was taking shelter at the Alexandra police station, said on Wednesday he did not want to return home because he feared for his life.

Khumalo said he was so scared that he was prepared to go back to Zimbabwe, despite the terrible economic situation and the increasing political violence in his home country.

"I can't live like this. I would rather die of hunger in Zimbabwe than die here".

- Beeld