Xenophobia compensation case postponed

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Sep 02 2009 12:11

A multimillion-rand xenophobia compensation claim by foreign shopkeepers from Zwelethemba township in Worcester was postponed on Wednesday to September 28.

The claim is being heard in the Equality Court in Cape Town.

The claimants' advocate, Rosaleen Nyman, said the postponement was to allow the South African Human Rights Commission to decide how it would deal with an application to have it joined as a respondent.

The claimants' legal team served notice of the application on the commission earlier this week after the possibility was raised that the court might order it to conduct human rights education programmes in the township.

Commission spokesperson in the Western Cape Judith Cohen said the commission had to work through 550 pages of documents, and needed time to consider the matter.

She added that the commission had been "deeply involved" in the xenophobia crisis, and its aftermath.

Eleven foreign nationals from the Boland town are seeking financial compensation and an apology from the police for allegedly failing to protect them when their shops were trashed by members of the community in March last year.

They claim this failure was itself motivated by xenophobia. -- Sapa

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