The rhetoric of politicians and leaders in South Africa may be responsible for the rise of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreigners in the country.
An indication of this is coming as officials of the South African Government are dismissing reports of xenophobic attacks in parts of the country as untrue.
The Deputy Minister of Police in South Africa, Bongani Mkongi, was seen in a trending video on social media calling for actions against domination of the country by the foreigners.
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“How can a city in South Africa be 80% foreign nationals? That is dangerous. That in Hillbrow, and the surrounding areas, South Africans have surrendered their own city to the foreign nationals. The nation should discuss that particular question.
“You won’t find South Africans in other countries dominating a city into 80%. Because if we do not debate that, that necessarily means the whole South Africa could be 80% dominated by foreign nationals and the future president of South Africa could be foreign national.”
Mkongi dismissed the ongoing attacks on foreigners as xenophobia, saying it was time to “talk truth” and discourage South African citizens from surrendering their lands to foreigners.
“It is not xenophobia to talk truth. We fought for this land from a white minority, we cannot surrender it to the foreign nationals.
“The hijacking of buildings here in Hillbrow is sign of taking over power. The question of dominance of foreign nationals in illegal trading and also businesses that are here in Hillbrow is a economic sabotage that is taking place against our people…that we’re supposed to be those that are running those particular businesses,” he said.
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Hillbrow is a residential neighbourhood in central Johannesburg where “a member of the public” was said to have also been killed in the recent attacks.
The city is said to be known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty, prostitution and crime.