The military’s extended deployment as part of Operation Fiela warrants scrutiny, says Angela Mudukuti.
Johannesburg - Gauteng police reports indicate that about 1 000 people were arrested over the weekend as part of Operation Fiela. Literally translated, it means “sweep the dirt”. That is a staggering number considering how little coverage this issue is receiving.
Operation Fiela is a sweeping exercise that has been described as institutionalised xenophobia designed to target foreigners living in Joburg’s inner city.
Surprisingly, the average, well-informed person is completely unaware of the fact that Operation Fiela is alive and well.
Minimal media coverage and a lack of engagement on the issue is akin to burying our heads in the sand and a reflection of just how quickly we forget.
While the attacks on the foreigners grabbed international and domestic headlines earlier this year, the issue has fallen off the media radar and been forgotten by most.
This is not only alarming, it is also assisting the government in a mass persecution of foreigners.
The government’s position is that this is an exercise aimed at reducing crime and flushing out gangs and nefarious elements. However, the results indicate the majority of those who are apprehended are targeted on the basis of their nationality.
Operation Fiela was initiated in April by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration and is executed by the police and the army. Together, they knock down doors and raid buildings.
The idea behind Operation Fiela is definitely questionable, but the methods employed also warrant further scrutiny.
Reports indicate that the raids are unnecessarily violent and have included the confiscation of valid immigration permits held by foreigners, harassment and severe intimidation.
The very fact that the army, mandated to “provide combat-ready land forces and contribute to national defence”, has been deployed to assist with this exercise is also cause for grave concern.
Thus far, even churches have been targeted, including the Central Methodist Church, which has previously been a place of safety for migrants.
Let us not forget that this is not completely unfamiliar in South Africa.
Apartheid-era police were known for their raids and attacks on churches as sights that protected and encouraged resistance to the oppressive apartheid regime.
Needless to say, while the black majority were the targets and scapegoats during apartheid, foreigners seem to have inherited this role under the current ANC government.
It is almost unthinkable that after the deaths of several foreigners and the repatriation of roughly 2 767 foreigners since the April attacks, the South African government’s response to all the chaos is the initiation and continuation of Operation Fiela.
While the government claims the operation has resulted in the confiscation of narcotics, weapons and counterfeit goods, there are several other inconvenient truths.
The inconvenient truth is that Operation Fiela is only worsening the xenophobic tension and exacerbating the stigmatisation of foreigners.
The inconvenient truth is that Operation Fiela violates constitutionally enshrined values that seek to prevent discrimination and preserve human dignity.
The inconvenient truth is that the government of South Africa is using the shocking crime statistics to manipulate the public into thinking that this is an effective and efficient method of crime reduction.
This does not come as much of a surprise given that the South African government initially avoided even acknowledging that the April attacks on foreigners were xenophobic in nature, brushing them off as mere criminality.
What the government should be focusing on is addressing the systemic discrimination against foreigners as well as the underlying social and economic issues that have fuelled xenophobic attacks.
Unemployment, social inequality, the poor standard of education and poverty are a few of the real underlying issues that require the government’s attention.
For as long as these core problems are not addressed, Operation Fiela will be one of many inappropriate methods used to mask the real issues.
Most importantly, the government should be putting in place policies that reflect an understanding of the central role human rights should play in a constitutional democracy. Operation Fiela and its extreme application cannot be neatly swept under the rug and ignored. It falls to the media and general public to remind the government that we have not forgotten.
It is also important to remember that South Africa is not the only country that battles with immigration issues. The perilous journey in unstable makeshift boats, made by many African immigrations to European shores, continues to make headlines. By April, UN statistics indicated that over 500 immigrants had drowned in the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of the year.
While some European nations continue to respond positively to assist immigrants, other nations like Britain have responded in a counterproductive fashion, including the reduction of search-and-rescue missions.
South Africa’s response to the xenophobic attacks and its initiation of Operation Fiela is as short-sighted as the British government’s response which is to essentially let immigrants drown in the Mediterranean Sea.
* Angela Mudukuti is the International Criminal Justice lawyer at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre. Prior to joining SALC, she worked at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
The Star