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Conference statement on xenophobia The Human Sciences Research Council, like the South African government, civil society, business, religious institutions and the media, to name a few, strongly condemns the acts of xenophobia that gripped South Africa in May 2008. The attacks on foreigners are contrary to the values and principles embedded in the South African constitution. Immediately after the attacks on foreigners, President Mbeki made a statement to Parliament saying: "Citizens from other countries on the African continent and beyond are as human as we are and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. We dehumanize ourselves the moment we start thinking of another person as less human than we are simply because they come from another country. As South Africans, we must recognize and fully appreciate that we are bound together with other Africans by history, culture, and economics and above all by destiny' south Africa will never be an island separate from the rest of the continent. I call upon those behind these shameful and criminal acts to stop. Nothing can justify it. The law- enforcement agencies must respond and will respond with requisite measures against anyone found to be involved in these attacks". During the spate of xenophobic attacks, South Africans united to show compassion to the victims of xenophobia and openly condemned the attacks on foreign nationals. Perpetrators of this violence were arrested and a number of social relief initiatives were set in motion. There was a general consensus that what had happened was not what South Africans wanted. The media played an important role in portraying what had taken place but also in educating people on the streets about human rights as reflected in our Constitution, diversity and how African countries had sheltered the ANC during its liberation struggle during the apartheid era. The HSRC, DST, NRF and AISA would also like to point out that the attacks were contained within informal settlements and certain township areas and only affected a small percentage of people of the country. It did not spill over to formal urban and peri-urban areas, and has now perfectly settled down. Although it is not advisable to travel alone to some of these areas, we want to assure all visitors that the venue where the conference will take place and the route from the airport to the venue is perfectly safe and no delegate needs to fear attacks aimed at foreigners. The HSRC was commissioned by the Department of Social Development to research the causes of the violence and the report was discussed at Cabinet level. (Click here to read more on this report.) Out of the 20,000 displaced foreign nationals, less than 2,000 are still to be integrated to their communities. The HSRC and its partners are ready to welcome all ISSC and CIPSH delegates to our country and government is doing its best to protect foreign nationals, irrespective of race.
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