Madam Speaker and Chairperson of NCOP 

The IFP commends the Chairman of the Task Team for his able leadership of the team, the entire membership of the all-party team for their commitment and diligence.  

The IFP also feels that recommendations of the Task Team are ideally positive not only in highlighting the social, economic and political origins of the conflict violence, but the recommendations carve the way forward.  

The IFP sympathises with all those affected by this senseless violence and commends the South African Civil Society, government and the general public for the humanitarian aid offered to those affected. We deeply regret the loss of lives and offer our deepest condolences to those affected. 

Yes, we must be tough on xenophobia and criminality; yes we must be equally tough on the causes of xenophobia.  

South Africans are neither xenophobic nor mean-spirited. The South African people are hospitable and generous, even when they have little or nothing to share. They have long embraced the spirit of Ubuntu Botho which says "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu".  Their misfortune is that of having a less than fully competent government, which has made enormous mistakes and has stood by them with steadfast stubbornness  especially in the field of immigration control, services delivery , poverty and the fight against crime .  

The lack of service delivery, fighting crime, poverty and proper immigration control resulted in the emerging of another phobia which burst in December 2007 at Polokwane.  

On the 16th May 2008 , the IFP in this House denounced the xenophobic attacks, and placed on record that it believed that the failure of government to deliver services to the people of Alexander was the cause of the current crisis in that area. It also rejected the notion that it is the IFP that has caused the violence in Alexander. The IFP called both the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Home Affairs to champion a tangible programme to deal with xenophobia. It also called for an urgent Commission of Enquiry to urgently deal with the current situation.  

This is a true reflection of how the IFP view the matter at hand, but an irresponsible, careless but not surprising statement from the Alexander ANC Youth League, which accused the IFP as responsible for the xenophobic attacks appears in the report.  

However, at a meeting of all youth formations convened by the ANC Youth League NEC at Luthuli House, the IFP Youth Brigade raised the issue of the ANC Youth League in Alexander and the Youth League Secretary General distanced the Youth League from such irresponsible statements and cleared the position of the Youth League on the matter.  

We therefore wish to put it on record that the IFP has serious reservations on this report, which gives wrong impressions that the IFP is the root cause of the recent xenophobic attacks. One is aware that the ruling party is divided on how to deal with these xenophobic attacks. The one side like all South Africans and independent institutions and researchers agrees  that the root cause of this unfortunate incidents is lack of service delivery, poverty, poor or no immigrant control and the fight against crime.  

The other side is worried about its legacy which is being exposed by these attacks that they were stubborn not to accept their failures of service delivery, fighting crime and immigrant control.  

The time has come for South Africans to desist from the syndrome of Denials, scapegoating and spin doctoring the facts. We are all in this; let us work together to deal with these xenophobic tendencies and criminality; there is no amount of economic and social hardship which can justify this barbaric behaviour. Visiting Alexander, Tembisa and the offices of Ekurhuleni Municipality and driving through Ramaphosa Squatter Camps has not given us a full picture of what really happened. There's a lot that needs to be done to effectively deal with the necessary healing and reconciliation.  

I thank you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
MR BONGINKOSI DHLAMINI MP:
083 254 8576