OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Thursday 7.30pm.
SAFETY and Security Minister Steve Tshwete has blamed illegal immigrants from China, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zambia for a crime wave in South Africa.
“The Chinese are stripping our coasts naked of perlemoen and are involved in trafficking women and children for the sex trade,” he told journalists. “In most crimes, there are aliens involved,” he said.
Tshwete said he will take up the issue when Chinese President Jiang Zemin leads a delegation to South Africa on a four-day state visit next week.
Tshwete plans to take his Nigerian counterpart on a tour of residential areas occupied by his nationals when he visits the country soon. He will also complain to the Pakistani and Zambian governments about their nationals’ activities.
Police commissioner Jackie Selebi blamed the decay of Hillbrow, a once up-market surburb in central Johannesburg, on “undocumented migrants.” “Hillbrow is falling apart,” he said. “Most of the hotels have been taken over by aliens and have become brothels and places where drugs are being sold.”
The concentration of aliens in Hillbrow is so high that only French was spoken in some parts, he added. “If you didn’t understand the language, you were asked to leave their area.”
The police department recently came under sharp criticism from human rights groups for allegedly targetting foreigners in its fight against crime. — AFP