Dudula movement violates local and international laws by targeting foreigners in SA
24 March 2022 - 18:20
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Operation Dudula members protest outside the Dobsonville police station in Soweto. Picture: THULANI MBELE
A couple of days ago we celebrated Human Rights Day at the time when many South Africans are divided over the Dudula movement, which over the past few weeks has been on the news for participating in what many call xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals.
There is no doubt that the country faces serious economic challenges and an agonisingly high unemployment level. But are foreigners responsible for this? Unless we find an objective answer to this question we will continue to blame others for our own failure to create jobs as a country.
SA’s economy has not performed well over the past decade. Foreigners are surely not the cause of this. While the Dudula movement may claim to be fighting for South Africans, its strategy is not reasonable.
In a constitutional democracy like SA you expect people to fight for what is right using legal and constitutional ways, to push for the government to change its foreign policy and tighten border control. To engage businesses to hire and train more South Africans to acquire the skills to be self-employed.
The truth of a matter is that the youth of SA love the soft life and don’t like sweating for their money. It is for this reason that they don’t find jobs on farms and in the construction industry, which are given to foreigners. Then people complain that foreigners are taking their jobs.
Yes, some foreigners conduct illegal businesses like selling drugs and human trafficking, but certainly not all. So why punish others for sins they did not commit? While the Dudula movement claims to be trying to save us, it must find legal means to do so, because it is now violating not only our laws but also international laws.
I hope the movement’s leader, Nhlanhla Lux, and his supporters will open up dialogue over this matter instead of terrorising foreigners.
Tom Mhlanga Braamfontein
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Foreigners have rights too
Dudula movement violates local and international laws by targeting foreigners in SA
A couple of days ago we celebrated Human Rights Day at the time when many South Africans are divided over the Dudula movement, which over the past few weeks has been on the news for participating in what many call xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals.
There is no doubt that the country faces serious economic challenges and an agonisingly high unemployment level. But are foreigners responsible for this? Unless we find an objective answer to this question we will continue to blame others for our own failure to create jobs as a country.
SA’s economy has not performed well over the past decade. Foreigners are surely not the cause of this. While the Dudula movement may claim to be fighting for South Africans, its strategy is not reasonable.
In a constitutional democracy like SA you expect people to fight for what is right using legal and constitutional ways, to push for the government to change its foreign policy and tighten border control. To engage businesses to hire and train more South Africans to acquire the skills to be self-employed.
The truth of a matter is that the youth of SA love the soft life and don’t like sweating for their money. It is for this reason that they don’t find jobs on farms and in the construction industry, which are given to foreigners. Then people complain that foreigners are taking their jobs.
Yes, some foreigners conduct illegal businesses like selling drugs and human trafficking, but certainly not all. So why punish others for sins they did not commit? While the Dudula movement claims to be trying to save us, it must find legal means to do so, because it is now violating not only our laws but also international laws.
I hope the movement’s leader, Nhlanhla Lux, and his supporters will open up dialogue over this matter instead of terrorising foreigners.
Tom Mhlanga
Braamfontein
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Inside Alex’s xenophobic purge
Several injured as Dudula campaigners target foreign vendors in Alexandra
Undocumented people must get amnesty to leave and re-enter, or apply for visas, DA says
MICHAEL CARDO: EFF perpetrates workplace terrorism as foreign nationals are scapegoated again
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.