Francesca Villette
YESTERDAY more than 300 people from across Africa came together in Zwelethemba, Worcester, to celebrate Africa Day.
In 2008 mobs attacked and looted 30 shops owned by people from Somalia and Ethiopia there. A number of people were injured.
Following the attacks a group of 11 Somali, Ethiopian and Congolese people sued the Safety and Security Ministry, saying that the police had not acted to protect them.
The court ruled that police did not have the resources to deal with the attacks.
At an imbizo hosted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in collaboration with several other departments, including Corrections and Police, Justice Department head Hishaam Mohamed praised the community of Zwelethemba for not repeating the violence of 2008.
“This day acknowledges the progress that we as Africans have made, while reflecting upon the common challenges we as Africa face in the global environment.”
The purpose of the meeting was also to evaluate whether there was cohesion among departments. Mohamed said all departments needed to work together.
Correctional Services regional commissioner Delekile Klaas said it was important to understand that interdependence existed between African countries.
“Gauteng gets 90 percent of its water from Lesotho. What would we do if Lesotho closed its taps? We are dependent on Mozambique for gas, on Nigeria and Angola for oil,” Klaas said.
Habiba Gorwy, from Somalia, has been living in Worcester since 1997. She said while the xenophobic attacks had not spread to the area this year, discrimination towards foreigners still existed in the area.
“There are many who treat us well, but there are many who do not. We constantly live in fear for our lives,” she said.
Nura Mohamed said
Africa Day means that one day she will not feel ostracised from the community she serves.