UK: Africans petition SA over xenophobia

via UK: Africans petition SA over xenophobia – New Zimbabwe 22/04/2015

A GROUP of Africans gathered at the South African Embassy in the UK Tuesday where they presented a petition, adding their voice to the global outrage at xenophobic attacks aimed at black people in that country.

Going by the name Help Stop Xenophobia in South Africa, the group was formed by a group of Zimbabweans to lobby for moral response to attacks on immigrants of African origin in that country.

About 3000 people signed the petition which was presented to the embassy in Trafalgar Square.

Spokesperson of the group, Melson Shoko, told Newzimbabwe.com that an embassy official called Fernando received the petition on behalf of the ambassador.

Shoko said they were joined by a group of other Africans from Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia. He said the group would continue to lobby for calm until normalcy returned to South Africa.

According to Shoko, he and his colleagues were jolted into action by images of violence including the gruesome murder of Mozambican national, Emmanuel Sithole, who was savagely stabbed in board daylight in Alexandra, a notorious Johannesburg township.

Africans across the continent have condemned the violence with protesters gathering at the South African embassies in Malawi, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Reports Tuesday night said South Africa had closed its consulate in Lagos, Nigeria, following anti-xenophobia protests there.

This was after protests were held outside the consulate in Abuja.

An embassy official was quoted blaming some Nigerians of blowing the situation out of proportion through the social media.

The attacks on foreigners have largely been blamed on Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini who reportedly said immigrants must go back to their countries.

But Zwelithini told his Imbizo Monday that his words were blown out proportion. The king called for calm and pledged his commitment to African solidarity.