A recent spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa have left five dead and nearly 300 arrested, police said on Wednesday, as anti-immigrant violence brought condemnation from several African countries whose citizens have been injured.
The unrest began in a Johannesburg suburb on Sunday when a protest march against drug-dealers blamed on foreigners devolved into violence, local media reported.
By Monday, rioters looted foreign-owned shops and set fire to cars and buildings in South Africa’s commercial capital and largest city.
Photos and videos showed protesters carting away food items, with a particularly striking image depicting two people making off with an entire vending machine.
The violence then spread to Pretoria, the country’s seat of power, where immigrant shopkeepers and traders were attacked and their shops looted.
Police fired rubber bullets on Tuesday to disperse the rioters gathered in Alexandria, an impoverished township in north-eastern Johannesburg where further looting of foreign-owned shops was reported overnight.
Some government officials in South Africa tried to downplay the attacks as law and order issue rather than xenophobic. Police minister Bheki Cele said that criminals were using intolerance as an excuse.
But President Cyril Ramaphosa was unequivocal on the cause of the attacks. In a recorded statement on Tuesday, the South African leader said the attacks must "stop immediately".
“The people of our country want to live in harmony; whatever concerns or grievances we may have, we need to handle them in a democratic way. There can be no justification for any South African to attack people from other countries,” Mr Ramaphosa said.
He added that he was convening ministers responsible for security “to make sure that we keep a close eye on these acts of wanton violence and find ways of stopping them”.
Flashes of violence against immigrants remain a recurring problem in South Africa.
In the wake of this week’s clashes, an activist group called Right2Know assailed the country’s politicians for fanning the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment with their divisive rhetoric of blaming foreign nationals for the country’s societal ills.
"Senior political leaders find an easy target in the vulnerable Africans seeking to make a new home in South Africa," the group said, naming Ramaphosa, Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba and Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.
A recent report by the African Centre for Migration and Society, which has monitored attacks on foreigners in South Africa since 1994, called xenophobic violence a "longstanding feature in post-Apartheid South Africa."
Foreigners are often blamed for taking jobs from South Africans in a country where unemployment is as high as 28 per cent, drug-dealing and many other ills facing the nation.
The scenes of violence have led several African countries to denounce attacks on their citizens and to call for South African authorities to ensure the safety of their people.
In a statement, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “the heinous act of violence perpetrated against foreigners including our citizens in South Africa”. It also warned its citizens to “distance themselves from any confrontation and conflict”, close their shops if possible and avoid going out wearing expensive jewellery.
Zambia, a close ally of South Africa, warned its lorry drivers to “avoid travelling to South Africa until the security situation improves” following the reported looting and torching of trucks and intimidation of foreign truck drivers. On Tuesday, the Football Association of Zambia cancelled a friendly scheduled for this weekend against the South African men’s team in response to the attacks.
The strongest response has come from Nigeria, whose citizens have most often been on the receiving end of attacks. Nigeria recalled its ambassador to South Africa Wednesday and pulled out of the World Economic Forum Africa Summit in Cape Town. It is a sign of deteriorating diplomatic and economic ties between Africa’s largest economies.
Its foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama had earlier called the violence "sickening and depressing" and was dispatched as the lead of the Nigerian delegation to Pretoria to convey Nigeria's concerns to Mr Ramaphosa.
Social media was awash with messages against the violence using the hashtag #SayNoToXenophobia.
The messages did little to halt tit-for-tat violence in the real world; by Tuesday evening South African-owned businesses in Nigeria were vandalised and looted in Lagos. Branches of the supermarket Shoprite and offices of the telecom giant MTN were attacked. On Wednesday, both businesses announced in separate statements they were closing shops out of concerns for the safety of their customers and staff. Nigerian music stars Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage have also called for a boycott of concerts in South Africa.
The riots come ahead of proposed October talks between Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari and his South African counterpart to discuss rising tensions between the two nations, particularly violence against foreigners.
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
