Pahad hints at right-wing link
2008-05-22 08:56
Johannesburg - Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad condemned the xenophobic violence in Gauteng on Wednesday, hinting at right-wing involvement in the unrest that has left more than 20 dead.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the xenophobic acts that have led to injury, death and destruction," Pahad told an International Media Forum on the violence in and around Johannesburg that has killed 23 people and displaced 10 000.
"We need to understand that xenophobia has historically been used by right-wing populist movements to mobilise particularly the lumpen-proletariat against minority groups in society. Political mobilisation on the basis of xenophobia pose grave threats to progressive forces in our society and to our democracy."
'We need to be careful'
Asked by reporters afterwards what he meant by this statement, Pahad replied: "All I'm saying is we need to be very careful ... it is easy to mobilise in this way with right-wing agendas.
"We need to go back to the decision as government to set up a task team and until such time as the task team has completed its work, it would be mere speculation."
He added that it seemed there was "a pattern in the way these attacks have developed".
On the possibility of army deployment, Pahad said a security cluster was looking into the matter.
"Once our security cluster has made an assessment of the security needs, we will decide. We will await a report from them. Obviously, you're calling the army if the police is unable to cope.
"As far as I know, we are not there yet but we will await the report from our security cluster."
The decision to deploy the army would be a joint one between the ministers of safety and security and defence and the SA Police Service.
Pahad called on all religious groups to become involved in assisting those affected by the violence.
He rejected statements that the government's sluggish service delivery was partly to blame for the situation.
"A lack of service delivery can never be an excuse ... no one else has done what we have done in 14 years. Let's not forget where we came from," Pahad said.
- SAPA