The SACC calls for National Indaba on Xenophobia

Fr Michael is the Deputy President of the SACC

I would like to share what Fr Michael Lapsley just posted on Facebook. It is good that the South African Council of Churches (SACC) also reacts. After the text I will only make one comment about a sentence that can be contested.

April 13, 2015

Not in our name!
Stop attacking black non-South Africans!
Attacking fellow Africans is attacking our national values!
The South African Council of Churches is alarmed and dismayed at the growing instances of intolerance and violence that have broken out all over the country but most recently in KwaZulu Natal. These outbreaks signal a serious breakdown of the core African values that have hitherto made us an admirable and stable society at peace with itself. We appeal to all citizens of the Republic of South Africa to stop these unacceptable xenophobic attacks on fellow Africans.
We urgently call for an organized national dialogue on the “status” of foreign nationals, and our national “attitude” towards their presence in South Africa. These African nationals we are shamelessly persecuting, ransacking and killing today come from countries who sacrificed their national securities and economic development to give the liberation movement rear-guard bases to fight and eventually topple the Apartheid regime. Our future socio-economic development hinges on our ability to relate to other African nations in a manner that fosters unity of purpose and human dignity.
This unbridled violence directed at foreign nationals, which has also tragically culminated in the loss of lives, is an unspeakable tragedy. It reflects poorly on our African ethos and Christian values.
The South African Council of Churches calls for a National Indaba on the plight of foreign nationals in order to reach a consensus on a lasting solution that will preserve values that make South Africa a proud member of the community of nations. In another similar initiative, the Fellowship of Christian Councils of Southern Africa (FOCCISA) of which the SACC is a member, will, between May and June 2015, convene a special SADC meeting of Councils of Churches, to address the challenge of xenophobia in Southern Africa.
The SACC is employing its Anti-Xenophobia Action to promote interventions in the hotspots of Kwa-Zulu Natal. We call on South African business leaders to partner these initiatives. There is a very real danger that there may be a backlash against South Africans and their business operations throughout the continent in retaliation to our country being perceived as “Afrophobic.”
"Stop attacking black non-South Africans! Attacking foreigners is attacking our national values! Not in our name!
Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana Acting SACC General Secretary
bishopmalusi@sacc.org.za. 0760417244

My comment is: of course people must stop to attack other human beings in general. Not only fellow Africans. There are cases when for instance shop-owners from Pakistan have been attacked. This must also be condemned! But I agree about the focus on Afrophobia. With this amendment.