President Cyril Ramaphosa Condemns Treatment of Foreign Nationals During Address to SADC Leaders
- President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed fellow heads of state at the 46th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
- Ramaphosa addressed the recent demonstrations in South Africa against undocumented foreign nationals, sharing his thoughts about the matter
- The president's address comes after months of anti-immigration protests that drew international attention and strained regional relations
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
DURBAN - President Cyril Ramaphosa used his address at the 46th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Durban to directly acknowledge and apologise for the xenophobic treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa in recent months.
Speaking to delegates from various African countries, Ramaphosa confronted the issue head-on in front of the very leaders whose citizens had been targeted.
Ramaphosa calls actions taken against foreign nationals
During his address, Ramaphosa acknowledged that people from neighbouring nations, some of whose leaders were present in the room, had been mistreated and in certain cases forced to leave South Africa under the threat of violence.
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"As South Africans, we are deeply concerned and ashamed that nationals from other countries have in recent months been subjected to discrimination and ill-treatment," Ramaphosa said.
He described the conduct of those responsible as criminal, saying such behaviour stood in direct contradiction to the spirit of solidarity that underpins the SADC bloc.
"The criminal actions of a few within our communities are a repudiation of the solidarity upon which this Southern African community is built," he stated.
Summit held against backdrop of anti-immigration unrest
The 46th SADC Summit, hosted in Durban, took place against a charged backdrop following months of anti-immigration protests across South Africa that generated significant regional and international concern.
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Demonstrations included ultimatums for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa.
Ramaphosa insists that South Africans aren't xenophobic
Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa weighed in on the recent tensions in South Africa between locals and foreign nationals.
The president insisted that South Africans were not xenophobic, saying that they wanted to live together with other Africans in the country.
South Africans weighed in on Ramaphosa's statement, sharing mixed reactions to his view on the actions of citizens.
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Source: Briefly News
