Johannesburg - Residents of Alexandra in Johannesburg should claim back their township streets from criminals terrorising the community, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said on Monday in the township where Mozambican Emmanuel Sithole was killed at the weekend.
“Let us reclaim the streets from criminals. Let us fight back for the sake of peace… Sithole’s death was pure criminality, and not a xenophobic attack,” he told supporters and residents gathered along 4th Avenue to hear him speak.
Mozambican national Emmanuel Sithole was stabbed to death in Alexandra on Saturday in one of a spate of attacks that have in recent weeks left seven foreigners dead and displaced thousands. Three people have since been arrested for the crime.
Malema told his audience that during the apartheid era neighbouring countries supported South Africans fighting for political freedom.
“The countries welcomed freedom fighters … warmly and provided food, shelter and arms to fight the apartheid government.
“Today they are happy for us for achieving freedom and they come here, and what do you do? You kill them. That is wrong.”
Those who claim that foreigners were taking jobs from South Africans were misled as the ANC government had failed to address rampamt unemployment, Malema said.
.”Just ask these people who spread the lies one question… Ask them which jobs they’re referring to. There are no jobs here. The ANC government is failing to provide jobs.”
Malema said he was ashamed to be South African and went on to apologise to the world at large for the attacks on foreigners.
“To the whole world, we apologise for these embarrassing events. Today I am ashamed and cannot say I am proud to be South African because South Africans are killing fellow Africans.”
He expressed his condolences to Sithole’s family, and called on authorities to convict and jail those arrested for his murder.
Malema, accompanied by EFF chairman Dali Mpofu and party spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, then walked around the streets of Alexandra, telling residents to respect the law and to desist from attacking foreigners.
Earlier, Cooperative Governace Minister Pravin Gordhan and mayor Parks Tau visited a nearby hostel in Alexandra and condemned xenophobic violence.
According to Malema, an EFF member was shot in the leg by police in Alexandra on Monday afternoon as party members held a protest march against xenophobia in the township.
ANA