Inflamatory posts incite violence: government

Residents of Mfuleni informal settlement in Cape Town who come from other African countries march against xenophobia and crime. File picture: Adrian de Kock

Residents of Mfuleni informal settlement in Cape Town who come from other African countries march against xenophobia and crime. File picture: Adrian de Kock

Published Feb 22, 2017

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Johannesburg – The South African government on Wednesday appealed to "all people" to refrain from comments that can deliberately incite the public to commit acts of violence.

In a statement the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster said it has "noted with concern" inflammatory remarks circulating on social media.

"These inflammatory posts are made by South Africans and foreign nationals against each other on social media posts. The threatening posts have been escalating since the recent attacks on homes and property occupied by foreign nationals in Johannesburg and Tshwane. The Cluster calls for these acts that only seek to divide our communities to stop."

The JCPS said there is no place "in our constitutional democracy" for citizens and/or foreign nationals to take the law into their own hands and incite violence.

"Communities and individuals who feel threatened should follow lawful channels to express their concerns," said JCPS Cluster Spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini in the statement issued by Government Communications (GCIS).

"We would like to assure all people in our country, including citizens and foreign nationals, that the security agencies are aware of the threats that are being circulated on social media. Security measures have been put in place to mitigate against any potential threat.

"In this 20th year of our democratic Constitution, we remain committed to building a society that is based on democratic values of social justice, human dignity, equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms, non-racialism and non-sexism."

African News Agency

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