Mbeki tells of his shame as death toll hits 24

Mbeki tells of his shame as death toll hits 24

LUCKY ESCAPE: An unidentified man gets medical attention after being attacked by South African mobs on Sunday

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SOUTH African President Thabo Mbeki on Monday reiterated his call for an immediate end to attacks on foreign nationals.

"Citizens from other countries on the African continent and beyond are as human as we are and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity," the president said.

"We dehumanise ourselves the moment we start thinking of another person as less human than we are simply because they come from another country."

South Africans should appreciate that they were bound to other Africans by culture, economics and above all, history.

"South Africa is not and will never be an island separate from the rest of the continent," he said.

Mbeki called upon those behind the "shameful and criminal acts" to stop.

"The law-enforcement agencies must and will respond with the requisite measures against anyone found to be involved in these attacks."

Mbeki said that everything possible was being done to bring perpetrators to book.

"Already, more than 200 alleged perpetrators have been arrested. Both the Minister of Safety and Security and the Acting National Police commissioner are keeping me informed of developments and I am confident that the police will soon make significant breakthroughs in getting to the root of this anarchy."

Mbeki thanked the public, police and community members who had joined in with calls for the cessation of violence.

"In particular, I would like to thank those who have lent a helping hand to the victims by, amongst others, offering shelter, clothes and food."

These people, he said, had demonstrated true South African spirit.

"Let us all work together to make it impossible for the few criminals in our midst to realise their inhuman objectives," said Mbeki.

Mbeki spoke as South African police and ruling ANC party officials intensified efforts to quell anti-foreigner violence that has killed at least 24 people and sent thousands of African immigrants into refugee shelters.

Police have struggled for over a week to end the violent attacks on foreigners who are accused by many in South Africa's poor townships of stealing jobs and fuelling a wave of violent crime. Local media said two people were killed overnight Monday.

Several foreigners have been burnt to death, women have been raped and scores of shops and homes looted since the violence erupted on May 11 in Alexandra township.

The African National Congress said the situation was coming under control after it sent officials into townships to appeal for an end to the attacks. Police also increased their deployment to trouble spots.

"The situation is being managed. Many ANC people are on the ground ... and things are quietening down," ANC spokeswoman Jesse Duarte told 702 Talk Radio.

The unrest has increased political instability at a time of electricity shortages, rising inflation and disaffection among the poor over President Thabo Mbeki's pro-business policies.

South Africa, with a population of 50 million, is home to an estimated 5 million immigrants. Foreigners from poorer countries have been lured by work in mines, farms and homes and by one of the world's most liberal immigration and refugee policies.

The biggest group -- an estimated 3 million -- are from Zimbabwe. They have fled economic collapse at home and the violent political standoff since disputed March 29 elections gives them little incentive to return home.

Mbeki's critics say his softly, softly approach to Zimbabwe has done too little to end the crisis there.

Zimbabweans and other immigrants say that far from being criminals they are more often the victims of crime. Thousands of immigrants have taken refuge in police stations, churches and government offices, rights groups say.

ANC leader Jacob Zuma has also called for an end to the attacks, which have dented South Africa's reputation for tolerance and threaten its hopes of luring an estimated half million foreign visitors for the 2010 soccer World Cup.

The violence indicates rising anger among those who complain they have been left out by Mbeki's investor-friendly policies.

"Poor and ineffective governance had created a tinder box of unmet expectations which exploded in Alexandra and has now spread to several other areas," the South African Institute of Race Relations said in a statement on Tuesday. - Sapa/Reuters

NAILED: Police round up some of the suspected death squads in central Johannesburg on Sunday
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