UN urges SA to act over xenophobic attacks

As xenophobic violence continued yesterday, the UN expressed concern at what it called repeated incidents of xenophobia in SA, dating as far back as 2008, notes Legalbrief. In a statement by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN urged SA to accelerate the enactment of legislation to tackle hate crimes while formulating future policies on migrants that conform to international standards. The attacks on foreign nationals were also labelled ‘unacceptable’ by both President Jacob Zuma in an address to Parliament – after which opposition parties blamed him and the ANC for the violence – and African Union Commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. SA’s business fraternity also condemned the attacks, with Business Unity SA warning of dire consequences for the country if the violence continued. Meanwhile, Africa is striking back – SA engineers working on mines and at a gas plant in Mozambique have been taken to secure camps after threats of reprisal xenophobic attacks.