Five Grahamstown women married to foreigners who fled town after their shops were looted, yesterday claimed not enough was done to prevent xenophobia spreading across the city.
Calling themselves the voices of the foreigners’ wives, Barbara-Ann Ali, Jacqueline Khokam, Jamila Raaes, Rehana Naveed and Rabiah Hossin released a statement calling for government intervention.
They said police, Makana councillors and local taxi organisations had done little to counter bizarre rumours since September of a foreign national killing people for body parts.
“Police and politicians ignored all requests to come out to the community and give people the proper information,” they claimed.
Xenophobic attacks and looting began last Wednesday hours after two local taxi organisations converged at City Hall to protest the shocking state of roads in Makana, as well as unsubstantiated claims of a foreigner killing people for body parts.
Hours later the looting began.
“They had signs on their taxis accusing our men of taking body parts, saying that they must all go and that they must burn,” the women said.
Police spokeswoman Captain Mali Govender yesterday said the allegations were viewed in a very serious light.
She said statements needed to be made to police so they could open a criminal case allowing them to follow internal disciplinary process.
Makana municipal spokeswoman Yoliswa Ramokolo yesterday denied little had been done to prevent xenophobic attacks and looting weeks before it happened.
“It all happened in a short space of time. We got the taxi petition and then heard there was looting. The taxi driver protest was illegal.”
She said they were told of the rumours on September 30 during a community march and were awaiting a police report when violence broke out last week.
In their appeal for intervention, the women claimed police did not help when their shops were being looted and sometimes even stood and watched.
“In Albany Road, the police took all the goods out, put it in the road and told the people to take.
“In Extension Seven, some of us saw a police van loaded up with looted food. One police officer driving a van was laughing and telling people to take.”
They said 300 shops were looted along with their homes and 500 people displaced.
“For years we have faced serious discrimination, harassment and abuse from small-minded people due to being married to men born in other countries and because most of us have converted to Islam.
“When some men see us in the streets wearing Islamic clothing they ask us why we are married with the ‘kwarras’. They swear at us. Some of the women call us bitches and prostitutes.”
They said being South Africans who owned businesses with their foreign husbands meant nothing.
“When the robberies happen, we are told we are also ‘kwarras’ now. Once you’re a ‘kwarra’ it seems you can be freely robbed and even killed.”
They also claimed their children had been beaten and that most had now been removed from schools.
Demands issued by the women, include: national government intervention; community engagement by police and councillors over progress made investigating killings, an investigation into the role of police, taxi associations and councillors to prevent looting and support to rebuild shops. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Xenophobia: too little too late
Calling themselves the voices of the foreigners’ wives, Barbara-Ann Ali, Jacqueline Khokam, Jamila Raaes, Rehana Naveed and Rabiah Hossin released a statement calling for government intervention.
They said police, Makana councillors and local taxi organisations had done little to counter bizarre rumours since September of a foreign national killing people for body parts.
“Police and politicians ignored all requests to come out to the community and give people the proper information,” they claimed.
Xenophobic attacks and looting began last Wednesday hours after two local taxi organisations converged at City Hall to protest the shocking state of roads in Makana, as well as unsubstantiated claims of a foreigner killing people for body parts.
Hours later the looting began.
“They had signs on their taxis accusing our men of taking body parts, saying that they must all go and that they must burn,” the women said.
Police spokeswoman Captain Mali Govender yesterday said the allegations were viewed in a very serious light.
She said statements needed to be made to police so they could open a criminal case allowing them to follow internal disciplinary process.
Makana municipal spokeswoman Yoliswa Ramokolo yesterday denied little had been done to prevent xenophobic attacks and looting weeks before it happened.
“It all happened in a short space of time. We got the taxi petition and then heard there was looting. The taxi driver protest was illegal.”
She said they were told of the rumours on September 30 during a community march and were awaiting a police report when violence broke out last week.
In their appeal for intervention, the women claimed police did not help when their shops were being looted and sometimes even stood and watched.
“In Albany Road, the police took all the goods out, put it in the road and told the people to take.
“In Extension Seven, some of us saw a police van loaded up with looted food. One police officer driving a van was laughing and telling people to take.”
They said 300 shops were looted along with their homes and 500 people displaced.
“For years we have faced serious discrimination, harassment and abuse from small-minded people due to being married to men born in other countries and because most of us have converted to Islam.
“When some men see us in the streets wearing Islamic clothing they ask us why we are married with the ‘kwarras’. They swear at us. Some of the women call us bitches and prostitutes.”
They said being South Africans who owned businesses with their foreign husbands meant nothing.
“When the robberies happen, we are told we are also ‘kwarras’ now. Once you’re a ‘kwarra’ it seems you can be freely robbed and even killed.”
They also claimed their children had been beaten and that most had now been removed from schools.
Demands issued by the women, include: national government intervention; community engagement by police and councillors over progress made investigating killings, an investigation into the role of police, taxi associations and councillors to prevent looting and support to rebuild shops. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos