AEC: Local and Somali shopkeepers have just signed a historic deal to help prevent xenophobia in Cape Town

Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Release
Wednesday August 19, 2009 – For immediate release

Local and Somali shopkeepers have just signed a historic deal to help prevent xenophobia in Cape Town

Local and Somali shopkeepers have agreed on and now signed a deal to help avert xenophobia-related violence in Gugulethu, Philippi and Samora Machel. Both groups have agreed that this deal is meant to be a blueprint for other small businesses in other communities and will help them prevent a re-do of last year’s xenophobic pogroms.

The joint committee sign the deal yesterday, the 17th of August 2009 after months of community meetings and sometimes tense negotiations.

As mediators, Anti-Eviction Campaign activists are working to release the document to all affected parties. In the next week, this document will be made available to members of the public and relevant stakeholders (and will also be posted for download on our website).

Until then, it is important to note that latent tension will remain until government gets its act together and ends its anti-poor policies which subsidise large businesses like Spar, Shoprite and Pick n’ Pay. We would also like to note that the deal was signed with support of a UN representative but despite the near complete absence of support from City, Provincial or National government even though they were invited to participate.

For more information, contact our mediator, Mncedisi, at 078 580 8646

For our archive of information and articles on xenophobia in South Africa, click here.