A Malawian Dies in Fresh SA Xenophobic Attacks
Renewed Attacks
Jan 10, 2009 Vitus Gregory Gondwe
Six months ago South Africa was engulfed in violent xenophobic attacks where at least 60 people were killed and about 100,000 were displaced.
The recent incident is as a result of renewed tensions between local South African and foreigners.
South Africa’s News 24 reported that heavily armed police were called in to intervene in the violent clashes involving locals and foreigners from other parts of Africa living in the area.
The news site reported that around two dozen people carrying machetes and other weapons invaded an apartment building inhabited by foreigners, forcing several to flee by jumping out of windows.
“A Malawian man died after jumping from the sixth storey while others sustained serious injuries,” reported News 24.
The media in South Africa showed images of armed men and women marching into a building.
Malawi government officials have expressed shock at the recurrence of the attacks.
Government Spokesperson Patricia Kaliati said government will try to assist Malawians who will be affected by the fresh attacks. This is however in contrast with what the foreign ministry has said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Henry Mumba said his ministry has not yet received reports on the fresh attacks.
"I am hearing it from you. I did not know that a Malawian has been killed in fresh attacks," he said.
In June last year, government evacuated 15,000 Malawians following attacks although most of those that were repatriated have since returned to the rainbow nation.
Malawi’s Department of Immigration announced that since issues of xenophobic attacks in South Africa had simmered down its revenue base started picking up as more people had resumed applying for new passports to go to the once called orange country.
One of the national Immigration Chiefs Selwyn Simfukwe said the last year’s attacks greatly affected its revenue collection as people were unwilling to apply for new passports.
The officials fear that fresh attacks could jeopardise their work again.
Before the last year attacks the department used to raise minimum revenue of K440, 000 per day, but within the period of the attacks the returns were reduced to an average of K80, 000 per day.
“The picking up of the revenue at the department was due to an end of xenophobic violence, but now with this I do not know what will happen” he lamented.
Passports application is one of the major means that Malawi government uses to collect its revenue.
Xenophobic violence which started in South Africa last year claimed the lives of foreign immigrants and displaced thousands of settlers from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other African countries.
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