If South Africa is fighting crime; let it fight crime, not fight brothers and sisters - Dabiri-Erewa
- Abike Dabiri-Erewa blamed xenophobic attacks in South Africa on inciting statements made by South African political leaders
- Dabiri-Erewa called on big South African establishments like MTN and DStv to speak out against xenophobic attacks
Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has accused South African politicians of telling their people that foreigners, including Nigerians are taking their women, and jobs and this led to the attacks.
Dabiri-Erewa made this statement on a television programme while admitting that foreigners who commit crimes in South Africa can be dealt with without the citizens attacking Nigerian citizens.
Punch reports that Dabiri-Erewa said xenophobic attacks in South Africa was driven by hate speech and misinformation.
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She said: “There are people who commit crime in South Africa, such people are in any country. If South Africa is fighting crime; let it fight crime, not fight brothers and sisters, who are legitimately working in South Africa,
“Don’t forget that these attacks happened in the past. This is the seventh attack. The last one was in 2015… the king of Zulu made some remarks that were inciting, that led to the last attack.
“This particular one, let’s look at the circumstances. Fine, there are economic issues everywhere in the world. Politicians are campaigning and telling their people, ‘you know what, drive these criminals away, they are taking your jobs, and they are taking your women too'."
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Dabiri said MTN, DStv and other South African companies should initiate a campaign against xenophobia by educating citizens in the former apartheid enclave.
She said: “Imagine MTN sending text messages to everyone in South Africa, saying Xenophobia is bad, don’t do this and that.
“They should embark on some corporate social responsibility. Those multinationals should get up and do something. DStv should be doing various jingles on why xenophobia is bad, they should take over the awareness campaign.”
Meanwhile, eminent Nigerian lawyer Femi Falana has written to South African President Jacob Zuma and urged him to urgently identify and prosecute persons and groups behind the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in that country.
Falana also wants the victims of the attacks to be compensated by the South African government.
Source: Legit.ng
