Mamelodi residents demand denial of asylum for Nigerians, Zimbabweans
Residents in Mamelodi are planning a march to the Department of Home Affairs to request that foreign nationals be denied asylum status.
Makgoka Lekganyane, who is part of the organising team, says unemployment in South Africa is already high but the government continues to allow foreign nationals into the country.
"The Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation did a study in townships in South Africa and found that 60% of the people in townships are unemployed. Yet we have tuckshops owned by foreign nationals in our townships that do not pay tax," he says.
Lekganyane says the South African government is turning locals into slaves by allowing foreign nationals to do business in townships.
"In Ethiopia, South Africans cannot set up a banks and shops. They have rules to protect their own industries until they grow," he says.
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Reports of the march have reportedly sparked fears of xenophobic attacks in the area.
Lekganyane says they are against xenophobia, but their grievances need to be addressed.
"When unemployment is so high in South Africa, giving foreign nationals asylum opens South Africa up to crime. Already Nigerians kidnap young women in the country," he says.
Lekganyane says the march has been approved by the City of Tshwane.