South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP) stands in solidarity with the victims of xenophobic violence and rhetoric in our country. This has been escalating at a horrifying rate, and has been exacerbated by the issuing of an ‘ultimatum’ by March and March alongside other xenophobic groups, demanding that illegal immigrants leave the country by 30 June.
Members of SAJFP have been mobilising support for people from various African countries based in South Africa. As Jews, we have an acute understanding of what it is to be victims of hate. We believe that because of this we have a duty to stand with those individuals facing similar threats. Many of our ancestors made South Africa their home after escaping violent pogroms in Europe and today, as anti-Zionists, we speak out against and work to put a stop to the expulsion and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. We also cannot remain silent when African migrants are targeted in South Africa purely because of where they come from.
We are horrified and shocked by the desperate plight of the victims who are attempting to flee the threats which have been made across the country. A monitor from the South African Human Rights Commission has issued a report specifically on conditions at the Department of Home Affairs Repatriation Centre, Epping, Cape Town. Literally thousands of desperate people are without shelter.
The rapporteur draws attention to the fact there is no coordination between government departments. He states that the City of Cape Town has created the impression that affected migrants would be accommodated at Epping. However, Home Affairs officials stated unequivocally that Epping is only a processing facility and not an accommodation or emergency shelter.
This has resulted in many migrants arriving in hopes of finding sanctuary and shelter, only to find themselves stranded after processing or to be left waiting outside the facility without assistance. The weather in Cape Town at the time of preparing this statement is appalling. It was very cold, following a full day of rain, on the day most people arrived in Epping, making their conditions a nightmare.
A tragedy is taking shape which will reverberate around the world to the shame of South Africa. How, in a democratic South Africa, has such a situation developed without intervention by our government? How do we find ourselves in a moment when Black people are demanding other Black people’s documents? Has the violent history of the apartheid dompas been forgotten? The Human Rights Commission report in particular is horrifying. This crisis could not have come as a surprise, for xenophobic activities have been escalating in recent years, especially as a result of government’s service delivery failures across the country. We call on government, and especially the City of Cape Town as well as all affected municipalities, to intervene urgently to quell the hatred we are seeing across the country and help those who are victims of it.
The South African Human Rights Commission draws specific attention to the efforts of Gift of the Givers (GoG), which is currently coordinating the provision of meals and emergency humanitarian relief. We stand in solidarity with GoG, as well as the Siyafuna Sonke Action Campaign, and all of those South Africans helping to end the scourge of violence and provide relief to those affected.
As Anti-Zionist Jews, we believe that South Africa is our home. Jews around the world do not need a homeland, and must therefore contribute to the societies we live in. Because we identify proudly as South Africans, we cannot stay silent as vulnerable people suffer due to xenophobia.
SAJFP will continue to mobilise for a Free Palestine, as well as to speak out against injustice, locally and globally. We cannot continue to use vulnerable migrants as scapegoats for the very real problems South Africa faces. No African is illegal in Africa.