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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of violence against foreign nationals.
Ramaphosa gave the assurance in Parliament on Tuesday while responding to questions from EFF leader Julius Malema over recent xenophobic attacks.
Malema accused the government of failing to arrest known perpetrators, saying the violence had damaged South Africa’s relationship with other African countries.
He also questioned why leaders of groups linked to the violence had been allowed to meet Ramaphosa in June.
Ramaphosa said some suspects had already been arrested and more arrests would follow once police gathered enough evidence.
“And of course those others who were seen to be leading these processes are also people who are of direct interest to the police,” he said.
He added, “The commitment I can make is that those who are perpetrating and have perpetrated acts of violence against foreign nationals are going to be dealt with.”
Ramaphosa rejected claims that South Africa had been isolated by other African leaders over the xenophobic violence.
He said South Africa remained “a respected member of the African community of nations and a principled pan-African actor”.
The president said his government had rejected xenophobia, Afrophobia, vigilantism and discrimination against foreigners.
He also said South Africa had engaged African leaders on the migration issue, including during last week’s SADC Summit in Durban.
Ramaphosa said other African leaders had expressed understanding and offered support as South Africa dealt with the migration crisis.
The dispute has heightened diplomatic concerns after Ghana called for xenophobic violence in South Africa to be discussed at the next African Union summit in February.
South Africa has instead proposed a special AU summit focused on migration and its primary causes, including insecurity and poor governance.
Ramaphosa also defended South Africa’s approach to neighbouring countries, saying the government respected their sovereignty.
“We are not lone rangers. We must act in unison with our region,” he said.
