Xenophobia repercussions affect Sasol in Mozambique

16 April 2015 - 18:06 By Wyndham Hartley And Khulekani Magubane

President Jacob Zuma on Thursday condemned the attacks on foreign nationals and urged communities to assist police in bringing perpetrators to justice. Zuma’s intervention in Parliament comes as xenophobic violence spreads from troubled communities in KwaZulu-Natal to residential areas in Gauteng.His call also comes as repercussions of the violence spilled across borders on Thursday‚ when work was halted at a Sasol project in Mozambique as employees fearing retaliatory attacks downed tools.In a special statement to the National Assembly Zuma insisted‚ however‚ that South Africans were not xenophobic and this was demonstrated by the number of foreign nationals present in the country’s communities.Many foreign nationals made significant contributions to the economy and were welcome in the country‚ he said. Zuma also reminded Parliament of the generous treatment given to South African exiles during the struggle.Meanwhile‚ in Mozambique‚ Sasol spokesman Alex Anderson said contractors at the company’s natural gas central processing facility in Temane‚ Inhambane‚ halted work because they feared reprisal for the xenophobic violence unfolding in SA.Anderson said Sasol’s core operations in Mozambique were unaffected by the latest development."We are taking necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all personnel and will continue to facilitate engagement with all parties involved and the relevant authorities to work towards an amicable solution‚" Anderson said.A source told BDlive that Mozambicans living close to the central gas processing facility project were concerned that jobs there were going to South Africans.This comes as the police in SA announced on Thursday that joint operating centres had been activated to detect xenophobic violence throughout the country...

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