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100 signatures reached
To: CEO of the IEC Sy Mamabolo, IEC
Report the DA and ANC's xenophobia to the IEC
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We call on you to enforce the electoral code of conduct and order these political parties to apologise for their comments and take responsibility for inciting xenophobic violence. We also call on you to ban the use of xenophobia to win votes.
Why is this important?
It’s election season and because political parties have tried to blame their failures on others they now have blood on their hands. This is being made worse by our political parties fighting a propaganda war against our fellow Afrikans to win votes for elections. They are making xenophobic comments at press conferences, rallies and on social media.
The DA’s spokesperson on immigration Jacques Julius said, “We have to close our borders. The fact that our borders are porous, you know people can just enter the country. Estimates [of how many immigrants enter the country] have ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions.” [1] This comment creates the idea that South Africa is overrun with immigrants but immigrants only make up 4.2% of the population. [2] There is also no evidence that the amount of immigrants have doubled or tripled. [3] But this isn’t the first time politicians have tried to trick us.
Last year Minister of Health and ANC member Aaron Motsoaledi said, “[When immigrants] get admitted [into hospitals] in large numbers, they cause overcrowding, infection control starts failing.” But he gave no evidence or proof to back up these claims. Francois Venter from the Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at Wits University said “I’ve worked in the public sector for over 10 years [as a doctor], and the problems we see [at the hospital] are largely due to poor human resource and supply line management, and the disease burden related to the local failure of poverty relief programmes and poor organisation of services — not a handful of foreigners who are here for jobs, not for healthcare.” [4]
The mayor of Johannesburg and DA member, Herman Mashaba said on Twitter, “Please assist us to get @HomeAffairsSA to deal with undocumented foreigner national in Alexander. Uncontrolled number of people in Alex is a challenge way beyond the @CityofJoburgZA competency.” [5] Yet the protests in Alexandria are because of poor service delivery. These comments are meant to shift blame from our leaders onto our fellow Afrikans.
These lies are inciting violence against immigrants and their children living in Mzansi. People have been extorted [6], attacked [7], driven from their homes [8] and their shops have been looted [9]. But we can bring this xenophobic propaganda war to an end.
The IEC electoral code of conduct bans “using language which provokes violence.” If enough of us come together and report the DA and ANC for their problematic comments to the IEC, the IEC will have no choice but to order political parties apologise for their comments and take responsibility for inciting violence and xenophobia. This pressure could also force the IEC to ban using xenophobia to win votes.
If we don’t keep holding government, political leaders and political parties accountable they will only double-down on their efforts to divide us and keep us from the truth by scapegoating immigrants for their failures. If we don’t do something now, we could see more attacks on our fellow Afrikans. We have a choice, either we stand by and watch as government wage propaganda war against our fellow Afrikans or we come together and stand with those who, just like us, are looking for better opportunities for themselves and their children.
As amandla.mobi members and a greater Afrikan community we can tell this story and ensure our government protects and gives equal opportunities and access to ALL Afrikans.
Force the IEC to ban using xenophobia to win votes and make protecting all Afrikans a priority by joining the campaign and sending the IEC a complaint.
Dear CEO of the IEC Sy Mamabolo,
We the undersigned call on you to ban the use of xenophobia during election season to win votes. Members of the DA and ANC have made xenophobic comments both on social media and in public. These comments have incited xenophobic violence across the country. People have been attacked, their shops have been looted and they’ve been driven from their homes. The IEC electoral code of conduct bans “using language which provokes violence.” We call on you to enforce the electoral code of conduct and order these political parties to apologise for their comments and take responsibility for inciting xenophobic violence. We also call on you to ban the use of xenophobia to win votes.
We trust you will hear our voices.
[1] https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2018-10-15-sa-needs-closed-borders-tighter-immigration-control-says-da/
[2] https://africacheck.org/reports/do-5-million-immigrants-live-in-s-africa-the-new-york-times-inflates-number/
[3] https://africasacountry.com/2018/10/how-many-immigrants-live-in-south-africa
[4] https://bhekisisa.org/article/2018-11-20-00-immigrant-blame-game-motsoaledi-remarks-immigrants-strain-on-health-system
[5] https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/social-media/2085631/herman-mashabas-tweet-about-alex-and-foreigners-divides-social-media/
[6] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/eastern-cape-immigrant-shop-owners-say-they-pay-protection-xenophobia/
[7] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/immigrants-fear-their-lives-durban/
[8] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/zimbabweans-limpopo-village-fear-their-future/
[9] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/residents-angered-criminals-running-riots-strand/
The DA’s spokesperson on immigration Jacques Julius said, “We have to close our borders. The fact that our borders are porous, you know people can just enter the country. Estimates [of how many immigrants enter the country] have ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions.” [1] This comment creates the idea that South Africa is overrun with immigrants but immigrants only make up 4.2% of the population. [2] There is also no evidence that the amount of immigrants have doubled or tripled. [3] But this isn’t the first time politicians have tried to trick us.
Last year Minister of Health and ANC member Aaron Motsoaledi said, “[When immigrants] get admitted [into hospitals] in large numbers, they cause overcrowding, infection control starts failing.” But he gave no evidence or proof to back up these claims. Francois Venter from the Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at Wits University said “I’ve worked in the public sector for over 10 years [as a doctor], and the problems we see [at the hospital] are largely due to poor human resource and supply line management, and the disease burden related to the local failure of poverty relief programmes and poor organisation of services — not a handful of foreigners who are here for jobs, not for healthcare.” [4]
The mayor of Johannesburg and DA member, Herman Mashaba said on Twitter, “Please assist us to get @HomeAffairsSA to deal with undocumented foreigner national in Alexander. Uncontrolled number of people in Alex is a challenge way beyond the @CityofJoburgZA competency.” [5] Yet the protests in Alexandria are because of poor service delivery. These comments are meant to shift blame from our leaders onto our fellow Afrikans.
These lies are inciting violence against immigrants and their children living in Mzansi. People have been extorted [6], attacked [7], driven from their homes [8] and their shops have been looted [9]. But we can bring this xenophobic propaganda war to an end.
The IEC electoral code of conduct bans “using language which provokes violence.” If enough of us come together and report the DA and ANC for their problematic comments to the IEC, the IEC will have no choice but to order political parties apologise for their comments and take responsibility for inciting violence and xenophobia. This pressure could also force the IEC to ban using xenophobia to win votes.
If we don’t keep holding government, political leaders and political parties accountable they will only double-down on their efforts to divide us and keep us from the truth by scapegoating immigrants for their failures. If we don’t do something now, we could see more attacks on our fellow Afrikans. We have a choice, either we stand by and watch as government wage propaganda war against our fellow Afrikans or we come together and stand with those who, just like us, are looking for better opportunities for themselves and their children.
As amandla.mobi members and a greater Afrikan community we can tell this story and ensure our government protects and gives equal opportunities and access to ALL Afrikans.
Force the IEC to ban using xenophobia to win votes and make protecting all Afrikans a priority by joining the campaign and sending the IEC a complaint.
Dear CEO of the IEC Sy Mamabolo,
We the undersigned call on you to ban the use of xenophobia during election season to win votes. Members of the DA and ANC have made xenophobic comments both on social media and in public. These comments have incited xenophobic violence across the country. People have been attacked, their shops have been looted and they’ve been driven from their homes. The IEC electoral code of conduct bans “using language which provokes violence.” We call on you to enforce the electoral code of conduct and order these political parties to apologise for their comments and take responsibility for inciting xenophobic violence. We also call on you to ban the use of xenophobia to win votes.
We trust you will hear our voices.
[1] https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2018-10-15-sa-needs-closed-borders-tighter-immigration-control-says-da/
[2] https://africacheck.org/reports/do-5-million-immigrants-live-in-s-africa-the-new-york-times-inflates-number/
[3] https://africasacountry.com/2018/10/how-many-immigrants-live-in-south-africa
[4] https://bhekisisa.org/article/2018-11-20-00-immigrant-blame-game-motsoaledi-remarks-immigrants-strain-on-health-system
[5] https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/social-media/2085631/herman-mashabas-tweet-about-alex-and-foreigners-divides-social-media/
[6] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/eastern-cape-immigrant-shop-owners-say-they-pay-protection-xenophobia/
[7] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/immigrants-fear-their-lives-durban/
[8] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/zimbabweans-limpopo-village-fear-their-future/
[9] https://www.groundup.org.za/article/residents-angered-criminals-running-riots-strand/