South Africa August 2006 |
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| Is xenophobia fuelling attacks on foreigners?, (Cape Times, 2006-08-23):-A Somali has been shot dead in his shop less than 24 hours after two Somalis were shot dead at their store on Sunday night - and their leaders claim there is a campaign to hunt them down and execute them. Four gunmen shot 27-year-old Gulet Abdi Nuur in the face at point-blank range in his shop in an informal settlement in Mfuleni, Kuils River, on Monday night. The murder was the latest in a series of attacks on Somali shopkeepers that many in the refugee community say reflects a wave of xenophobia sweeping townships. In this month alone, Somalis have been shot dead in Delft, Stellenbosch, Belhar, Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and Mossel Bay. In none of the cases have police made arrests. Hussein Dell, a cashier employed by Nuur, said: "I was working as the cashier when the four men entered. They bought a cigarette, but I sensed that they looked like trouble. "At that point they each drew a gun and the oldest, a man of about 45, shot Gulet twice in the face. They didn't take anything from the shop. They just came in there to kill us and then run away. I escaped through the back door." Mohamed Qare, of the Mitchells Plain Somali community, said his compatriots were unsure of the motives. "It could be xenophobia, jealousy of our businesses - Somalis in general keep a low profile and work hard - or even organised crime." Others are convinced that there is a more sinister force behind the attacks. In many of the murders nothing has been stolen, lending weight to the belief that the attacks are organised and race-based rather than robberies, says Qare. "Secret meetings have been held for some time in Khayelitsha," said Abdul Kader, whose cousin was slain in his Khayelitsha shop three weeks ago. "A large group is gathering (to) drive Somalis out of the townships. Locals do not want foreign businesses in their area. They think we are going to take their land and money. We are just trying to get by, like everyone else. "Many of us employ South Africans and create jobs". Somalis with refugee status were unable to seek work legally and often set up small businesses. Community leaders are furious as they say police refuse to probe the murders. "They have not made a single arrest for the 26 murders in the past month," said Qare. "They have not arrested anyone for the murder of a Somali in all these years." Police spokesperson Billy Jones confirmed that no arrests had been made in the latest two incidents, but could not be certain about the other cases. At the funeral of the two men murdered in Khayelitsha at the weekend, police fired rubber bullets, injuring two of the mourners. The shots were fired in a scuffle in which mourners tried to take pictures of the body to make the media aware of the attacks. "The police only turn up after 40 or 50 minutes so they don't put themselves in danger," Mohamed Kaliph, of the Bellville Somali community, said at the funeral on Tuesday. "By that time it's too late. Then when you phone them, they just say they are still investigating". The small and close-knit community of Somalis in Cape Town has been living in fear for months. "We are attending funerals almost daily," said Kader. He says it is more dangerous to live here than in Somalia. "If you are killed there, it is for a reason. We came here for peace and safety, now we would rather go home." But without permanent documents, refugees are unable to leave South Africa, even for a visit. "All we are asking for is to be protected or to be allowed to go home," said Ismail Yusuf, who was shot in February and admitted to hospital for a month. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |