Farm workers asked to avoid xenophobia
AGRICULTURE, forestry and fisheries minister, Senzeni Zokwana, called for calm and requested that people stopped attacks on foreign nationals as they misrepresented democracy in South Africa.
LIMPOPO – AGRICULTURE, forestry and fisheries minister, Senzeni Zokwana, called for calm and requested that people stopped attacks on foreign nationals as they misrepresented democracy in South Africa.
Zokwana was addressing more than 7 000 farm workers at ZZ2 in Mooketsi outside Modjadjiskloof on Monday.
Zokwana said people should help to stop the attacks, which he described as heinous acts of barbarism. The attacks were widely reported in the media in recent weeks.
The minister further said the country was renowned for its negotiation skills, which ushered in democracy even though the doomsayers said it would not be possible. “We must stop the attacks because this is not who we are as a nation, because attacking foreign nationals misrepresents our hard-earned democratic order,” Zokwana said.
He explained that the the attacks towards foreign nationals harmed the country’s reputation and would not be tolerated, and that the government condemned violent attacks on foreign nationals in the strongest terms.
Zokwana further said the attacks appeared to have been perpetrated by criminal elements and some politicians in order to serve their criminal and political interests.
He added that looters and those committing acts of violence would be arrested and brought to book.
He further indicated that the government would not to allow a few individuals to reverse and undermine the country and its people’s historical achievements. “No amount of frustration or anger can ever justify the attacks on foreigners,” he added.
ZZ2 chief executive officer, Tommie Van Zyl, said his company employed more than 7 000 people including foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and other African countries.
He said they had also employed 9 000 employees in West African countries where they also did farming business.
The representative for the Zimbabwean nationals working at ZZ2, Million Villa, commended ZZ2 management for the way they kept their employees united irrespective of their nationality. He appealed to employees to do everything they could to stop xenophobia from happening.
Steven Mohale, a well-known crop and stock farmer from Mamokgadi village in Bolobedu, called on South Africans to stop the killing and work to support their families.
Piet Warren from Agri SA condemned the killing of anyone for any reason.
