Mbeki calls attacks on migrants "absolute disgrace"
25 May 2008 17:33:24 GMT Source: Reuters
(adds details, further Mbeki comments) JOHANNESBURG, May 25 (Reuters) - President Thabo Mbeki called a wave of deadly attacks on migrants an "absolute disgrace" on Sunday and said his government would take all measures to bring those responsible to justice. "We must acknowledge the events of the past two weeks as an absolute disgrace," Mbeki said in a televised address, his first since the xenophobic outbreak began on May 11. "Everything possible will be done to bring the perpetrators to justice." At least 50 people have died and more than 25,000 others have fled to refugee centres as a result of the bloodshed, which began in shanty towns around Johannesburg and has spread across the country. Some poor South Africans accuse migrants, who are mostly from other African countries, of stealing jobs and fuelling violent crime. Mbeki, criticised for reacting slowly to the crisis, said South Africa's prosperity was linked to that of the rest of Africa and that concerns about domestic problems must be channelled democratically and not used to justify violence. He added that the government was opposed to segregating migrants in special camps. (Reporting by Serena Chaudhry and Paul Simao)
An African immigrant, displaced by anti-foreigner violence in Cape Town, sleeps at a makeshift camp in the city May 25, 2008. Leaders of South Africa's ruling ANC held rallies and public ...
