Cape Town - The ANC on Wednesday said South Africans should be ashamed of the ongoing “barbaric” attacks on foreign nationals that have left four people dead and displaced hundreds.
“Regardless of the cause of these barbaric deeds, the African National Congress regards them as criminal acts against vulnerable and defenseless people who have sought refuge, solace and economic prosperity in our country,” the ANC said after police largely failed to contain xenophobic violence in Durban on Tuesday.
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said SA’s hard-won democracy also belonged to the rest of the continent and many of those who have found themselves under attack hail from countries who had whole-heartedly supported the anti-apartheid struggle.
“These unpardonable attacks against them are a shameful assault on our very humanity.
“As South Africans, the far vast majority of whom are deeply rooted in values of humanity, solidarity and brotherhood, we are forced to once again hang our heads in shame in the face of these misguided and misplaced assaults. “
He added South Africans could not blame poverty and unemployment for the attacks and extended the party’s condolences to the victims of the attacks.
“Ours is a nation that has faced and defeated the very worst of human brutality during apartheid, our people cannot be the ones to inflict such heinous cruelty on our fellow men.”
ANA