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South African opposition politician Julius Malema has criticised South Africans involved in xenophobic attacks against Black migrants in the country.
Violence against African migrants, including Nigerians and Ghanaians, in South Africa has been recurring. In April, videos circulating on social media showed South Africans wielding sticks as they chased and beat Black migrants, ordering them to leave the country.
Malema, who spoke on Thursday at an event commemorating the 14th anniversary of the Collen Mashawana Foundation, criticised perpetrators of attacks on foreigners and the closure of their businesses.
Credit: The Irish Times
The South African opposition politician questioned how many jobs the South Africans who claim that black migrants are stealing their jobs have created in the country. According to him, the perpetrators of the xenophobic attacks are unskilled South African nationals.
“I want to speak about the xenophobia and afrophobia that we are practising here in South Africa today. I want to challenge you who say ‘Zimbabweans take your jobs, Nigerians take your jobs’ and you march, close shops, and beat up people. Tell us, after doing that, how many jobs have you created?” Malema said.
“You beat people because they took jobs. You closed a show that hired five people and you say they take our jobs. After closing that shop, how many jobs have you created? Unskilled men, with no skill whatsoever, say somebody took their jobs. The skill they know is to drink and want to pretend like revolutionaries.”
He added that he does not want the votes of the perpetrators of the attacks and said he would never hate Africans.
“I don’t want your votes. If you behave like that, take them away. I don’t want a vote that says to me, I must hate Africans for you to vote for me. I will never do that,” Malema added.
