Zimbabweans outraged over claims of high crime rate in SA

By Tichaona Sibanda
12 April 2006

The Zimbabwe Civic Society Organisation in South Africa has reacted angrily to claims carried in a daily newspaper that Zimbabweans are responsible for the high crime rate in that country.

One article that has caused outrage among Zimbabweans was published Wednesday in the influential Daily Sun under a bold headline ‘Alien Gangs of Terror’ and carries a picture of a pistol against the headline.

Daniel Molokela, chairman of the Civic Society Organisations, said what they found most distasteful in Wednesday’s article were absurd claims that ‘7 out of 10 of all housebreakings in Gauteng are the work of illegal aliens, mostly from Zimbabwe.’

He said the article was highly xenophobic and defamatory and that it has forced them to unite and come up with practical measures. The story is one of a series of articles the Johannesburg paper has run in recent months, making the same claims and going unchallenged by many peace loving Zimbabweans who live in South Africa.

‘In recent months we have also encountered damaging, unconfirmed or substantiated allegations in articles about Zimbabweans robbing banks and being involved in all major robberies, especially at casinos,’ said Molokela.

However no South African official has ever confirmed nationalities of the suspects and this is what shocks Molokela who said newspapers in South Africa are being allowed to get away with blatant xenophobic reportage.

‘We are working on some practical measures to rectify this and it may include litigation, suing the paper, demonstrating and demanding an apology at the same time,’ he said.

A classic example of the blatant distortion of information was when one newspaper claimed that two Zimbabweans were caught with US$200 000 as they tried to cross into Zimbabwe barely two hours after committing a robbery in Johannesburg.

A bemused Molokela said for the robbers to cover the distance between Johannesburg and Messina within two hours they would have had to use a supersonic jet!