Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has given the strongest indication yet that he believes Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba sparked the attacks that began two weeks ago on Rosettenville properties belonging to Nigerian residents.
The minister conducted a walkabout today to quell tensions in areas of the city that have large populations of foreign nationals.
A dozen homes were torched in the Johannesburg south suburb as well as a night club, a brothel and an alleged drug den which were apparently being run by Nigerians.
While the genesis of the violence can be traced back to a housing dispute, Gigaba believes comments made by Mashaba at the end of last year could have emboldened the community to take the law into their own hands.
Two weeks ago 500 residents marched to the homes of Nigerians and set furniture alight before torching the buildings. They claimed to be ridding the area of drugs and prostitution.
Speaking before the walkabout in Yeoville and Hillbrow, Gigaba lamented Mashaba’s comments without mentioning the mayor by his name.
“It could very well make one unpopular to say irresponsible statements that could incite vigilantism. Leaders have a responsibility at all times to be measured and consider the fact that as a result of what you say, there could be lives lost. There could be property that is destroyed, that property belongs to private individuals and they have invested enormously on the development and maintenance of that property,” he said.
The delegation included Gauteng community safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane and members of the police. The minister planned to speak to foreign nationals and police planned to conduct searches for valid immigration paperwork.
Appearing to address Mashaba directly, Gigaba said the government would not allow politicians to compromise its relationship with other African countries.
“Our relations as a country and particularly with our African neighbours, gets affected. It may not mean much to you as a leader, considering that some of your friends could be somewhere very far away, but for us … they way we treat SADC [Southern African Developmental Community] nationals in our country must be in accordance with our laws and human rights ethos,” Gigaba said.
“That doesn’t mean, therefore, if you are an undocumented migrant you deserved to be chased down the street and be called a criminal, even when you have not committed any crime … to be labelled as messing up Johannesburg,” the minister concluded.