The Cape Town leg of “Operation Ubuntu”under the banner “Africa Stands Together.
Operation Ubuntu’s national and continental day of action against xenophobia handed over a list of demands to police officials in Cape Town and Johannesburg on Saturday.
Organisers said the day of action was to hold the state accountable for its actions, including its role in encouraging vigilante groups. Placard demonstrations were held in Johannesburg, outside the Durban City Hall, and in Hanover Street, Cape Town.
In the memorandum of demands, Operation Ubuntu organisers explained that they represent social justice organisations, campaigns, and movements from across the spectrum of struggle. They also presented a list of demands to the Department of Human Settlements, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Home Affairs, the Department of Education, and SAPS.
“We are united in demanding an end to the crisis of xenophobia and to the broader conditions of deprivation affecting migrants and South African citizens alike. The lack of housing, the lack of jobs, and the lack of access to essential services such as healthcare and education are failures of government delivery, not the fault of migrant communities,” the memorandum stated.
