|
'It's crime, not xenophobia'
16/06/2008 16:13 - (SA)
Thabisile Khoza
Komatipoort - For four Pakistani brothers, it's business as usual despite SABC news reports of planned attacks on foreigners in Mpumalanga's Nkomazi area.
They run KaMhlushwa Patel's Hardware and Sibayeni Patel's Hardware near Komatipoort and say they have received many phone calls from villagers assuring them that they will be safe.
"The communities are promising to support us," said Jamai Patel.
Saged Patel adds: "We know that we don't come from this country, but we have created job opportunities for more than 100 people in the area at our two hardware stores."
The Patels also sponsor soccer kits, donate food and have installed six taps outside their shops where the communities can collect water because the water supply in the area is poor.
Mustak Patel says he is keeping a list of the names and numbers of customers who have phoned to put the family at ease and offer help.
"They have all indicated they are willing to help us should anyone cause problems," he said. Shops closed for Youth Day "The people of Nkomazi are very generous and always helpful to us foreigners."
Saliem Patel said the shops were closed on Monday, not because of any threats that had been made, but because it was Youth Day.
He said one of his managers had received threats that one store would be attacked on Monday, but Saliem doesn't believe the threat is motivated by xenophobia.
"I've been warned that the attacks are planned by people from outside the community who want to rob us. Someone has offered to protect us if we pay protection money, so this is clearly about crime and not xenophobia," he said.
Tonga police spokesperson Mzwandile Nyambi said police were on the alert.
In Komatipoort, a large group of Mozambican vendors go about selling vegetables as usual.
One vendor, Lydia Mathonsi who lives in KaMaqhekeza, said she has a house and is married to a South African man with whom she has five children. 'My life belongs here'
"I don't see why we would be discriminated against and forced to leave the country because my life belongs here," she said Mathonsi.
The Nkomazi area has a large number of Mozambican-born people, many of whom have lived there since they escaped the civil war in Mozambique and decided to stay when the war ended in 1993.
Nkomazi stretches south of the N4 highway to the borders of Swaziland and Mozambique and has about 152 impoverished villages, which have large number of Mozambicans and Swazis, as well as Pakistanis and some Somalis.
"We are confident that violence won't break out here and are working closely with the community and police to monitor the situation," says head of the Siboshwa traditional council, Shushu Ngomane.
He said many foreigners were contributing positively to the community and were schoolteachers, nurses, politicians and business people.
"They are innovative and have created job opportunities for young people in these areas," he said.
Senior headman at the Siboshwa traditional council, Joe Ndlala, adds: "If there was just one attack, the whole region would be explode. "There would be no service delivery because so many officials are not South African-born."
- African Eye
|
News
