Mashaba’s statements on undocumented foreigners are ‘reckless’, activists say
Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has been criticised for his plan to use "shock and awe" to remove undocumented immigrants living in the Johannesburg city centre. Throughout Mashaba’s term in office‚ he has been accused of fuelling xenophobia by making unconstitutional statements about foreign people living in the city. The Africa Diaspora Forum (ADF) says these statements are "reckless" and "fire kindling". In a statement released in August‚ the ADF said that it worried that those remarks "may incite more xenophobic violence". Mashaba has been quoted widely saying "foreigners‚ whether legal or illegal‚ are not the responsibility of the city", and that "[the City of Johannesburg] will only provide accommodation exclusively to South Africans". Mashaba plans to clean up the city centre to invigorate economic growth. To do so‚ he aims to "expropriate" run-down buildings in the city centre to sell them to private investors‚ evicting residents "by force" if necessary. Attempts to contac...
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