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"My Dear Brother, I was very happy to hear from you after a long time. It is a pity that we are reconnecting under sad and painful circumstances which have prompted you to write an open letter to me. I remember you from our days in Mozambique, when you worked at the Mozambique Information Agency and when you were editor of Tempo magazine and later of Noticias.
I
cannot forget the friendship that Mozambique accorded my comrades and
to me personally. In fact Mozambique became my second home and it
remains my home.
You
are in pain as your letter indicates, because of the deaths of
Mozambicans and the general attacks on foreign nationals in parts of our
country. South Africans are also in pain because of the tragic and
senseless killings of all seven persons in the past weeks. These are
three South Africans and four foreign nationals. May their souls rest
in peace and may their tragic deaths unite us all in the quest for peace
and an end to violence.
This
is a difficult period for our country and its people. Millions of peace
loving South Africans are in pain because they are being accused of
being xenophobic which is not true. South Africans are definitely not
xenophobic. The actions of a small minority should not be used to
wrongfully label and stereotype more than 50 million people.
Since
1994, we have worked tirelessly to rebuild our country and to reverse
the legacy of apartheid colonialism. We have made progress in building a
society that is based on the respect for the right to life, human
rights, equality and human dignity. We continue to build a society free
of any form of discrimination. We are doing so because we know the pain
of being discriminated against because of your skin colour, language or
nationality.
You
reminded me of the hospitality and generosity that was accorded to me
by Mozambicans during my stay in your beautiful country in exile. We
agree that we benefited immensely from international solidarity and
friendship during our struggle against apartheid. Our brothers and
sisters in the African continent in particular shared their meagre
resources with us. Many were killed for supporting our struggle for
freedom. The Matola raid in your beautiful country is an example. It is
for this reason that we embrace our African brothers and sisters who
migrate to South Africa legally. In fact our migration policy is
advanced because we integrate refugees and asylum seekers within our
communities. They live among our citizens, they are part of us. We are
one people as President Samora Machel said after the tragic Matola raid
in which many Mozambicans were killed by apartheid security forces.
We built our movements together in the early years of the anticolonial struggle. We shared camps in Tanzania. Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) cadres fought side by side with the Angolan MPLA and the Cubans to defend Angola’s independence.
South
Africa has not changed and has not forgotten such comradeship and
solidarity. But like most countries that have emerged from conflict, we
have deep-seated challenges.
We
appreciate the contribution of foreign nationals in South Africa. They
contribute to our economic development by investing in the economy,
bringing critical skills and through adding to the diversity that we
pride ourselves in. But there are also some complaints or problems that
citizens have raised which need to be addressed. These include the
increasing number of illegal and undocumented immigrants in the country,
the displacement of many local small traders by foreign nationals and
that some of the migrant traders operate illegally. There are also
accusations that foreign nationals commit crimes such as drug peddling
and human trafficking, that they take the jobs of locals as employers
prefer them as they are prepared to take lower wages and also complaints
about free government housing that is secured by foreign nationals. We
have emphasised that none of these grievances justify any form of
violence against foreign nationals and that it will never be tolerated
by government. We are also pointing out that not all migrants are in
the country illegally and not all are involved in criminal activities.
In the short-term we will also improve the implementation of the existing migration policy including tightening controls at the ports of entry and borders and also ensuring adherence to the laws of the country, while protecting migrants and the local population from criminal elements who are taking advantage of the tensions caused by socio-economic challenges. Work has also begun to review the country’s migration policy based on the current and recent experiences.
Our
government will rely on the cooperation of sister countries in the
continent from where most of the migrants come, as we search for
solutions.
We truly appreciate the encouraging messages from the African Union, the United Nations and other regions.
What
also gives us strength as government, is that we are working with the
full support of our peace-loving population. The peace and friendship
marches that are being held throughout the country embody the South
Africa we know and the South Africa we are proud of. That is the South
Africa which condemns hatred, violence, racism, xenophobia and all other
related intolerances.
I
invite you to join us my dear brother, as we move beyond the anger and
pain, and promote sustainable and inclusive development as well as peace
and friendship all over Africa.
Sincerely yours,
President Jacob Zuma
Tshwane, South Africa
To read the writer's letter, click HERE
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