UN Chief breaks silence on attacks against foreigners in South Africa

UN Secretary-General, António  Guterres, has condemned the renewed wave of violence against foreigners and their property in parts of South Africa.

Guterres’ message was conveyed by his spokesman, Mr Stéphane Dujarric, at a news briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

He said, “We strongly condemn the acts of violence that have been reported in different provinces in South Africa, including attacks against foreigners and the destruction of their property.

“The Secretary General has also very much noted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s unequivocal condemnation of that violence.

“He has also noted Ramaphosa’s call for strengthening accountability in line with democratic values enshrined in South Africa’s constitution.

“The Secretary General urges all political leaders to clearly and openly reject the use of violence,” he said.

The UN Chief’s spokesman avoided the xenophobia tag, choosing rather to describe the attacks as “acts of violence”.

The last few days have seen a resurgence of xenophobic violence by South African mobs against foreign nationals, their property and businesses in parts of the country.

Many Nigerians and their assets have been targeted, triggering retaliatory attacks against South Africa-linked businesses in parts of Lagos, Ibadan, Uyo and Abuja.