JOHANNESBURG - The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has called on the countrys citizens to be tolerant with their fellow Africans, as residents of a Mpumalanga township turned on migrant workers this week.Residents in Siyathemba in Balfour began their violent protests after they accused some companies of contributing to high unemployment levels by overlooking locals for jobs. The townships schools shut down and businesses closed, as police were engaged in battles with the protesters, who were demanding that foreigners, including Zimbabweans, should immediately return to their home countries. Numsa condemns the violent protests and xenophobic attacks directed towards foreign nationalsbecause they negate the legitimate and genuine service delivery and economic opportunities demands raised by the community, said Numsas national spokesman, Castro Ngobese.
The union called on the working class formations, particularly the ANC-led Alliance, to unite the community. Our Revolutionary Alliance must actively champion a revolutionary agenda, which seeks to transfer the wealth of our country to the people as a whole, added Numsa. Police on Wednesday said they had arrested 16 people for public violence, after they had set alight and looted foreign-owned shops. The protesters also barricaded roads with burning tyres.