'No one held accountable for xenophobic violence'

Those who incite xenophobic violence are not held accountable and without that‚ the violence will continue.

This is the view of Jean-Pierre Misago of the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS).

Misago was one of the panelists discussing xenophobic violence during a seminar on refugee and migrant rights hosted by Lawyers for Human Rights at the university’s law school on Wednesday.

Misago said xenophobic violence continued because attitudes towards foreign nationals remained negative.

He said interventions to curb violence against foreigners had not worked for a number of reasons.

“We haven’t been holding the government accountable. There is no thorough investigation to hold perpetrators accountable. They remain on the streets and can organise violence whenever they see fit‚” Misago said.

Misago said it was necessary to arrange community dialogues “in the hope of changing people’s attitudes towards foreigners“.