APF: You Touch an Immigrant You Touch a Community

SCHUBART PARK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

Public statement

9th July 2010

SOUTH AFRICA BELONGS TO ALL WHO LIVE IN IT!

‘YOU TOUCH AN IMMIGRANT, YOU TOUCH A COMMUNITY’

ALL-INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY EVENT ON SUNDAY 11th JULY

Schubart Park is a community organisation in the city of Tshwane and an affiliate of the Anti Privatisation Forum (APF). Immigrants in this community comprise about 60% of our community members. As a community and affiliate of the APF we denounce xenophobia in the strongest terms.

We believe that South Africa belongs to those who live in it. There is no need for us to fight each other. We should stand together and channel our energies towards fighting inequality and the neo-liberal polices that have divided us economically and socially. Africa should know no borders – we are one.

As the poor working class and communities we need to tackle the root causes of poverty, inequality and lack of service delivery. To do this requires a radical redistribution of power, assets and opportunities to break the cycle of poverty and inequality and to give the poor power over their destiny. Our government’s polices do not allow that to happen and instead they falsely divide us and create misdirected hatred and unnecessary conflict. It is these conditions and realities which fuel xenophobia and provide the space for xenophobic attacks.

In Schubart Park we stand together irrespective of where we come from. Our slogan is – ‘YOU TOUCH AN IMMIGRANT, YOU TOUCH A COMMUNITY’. In our community there is, and will be no, space for anyone to ‘touch’ an immigrant. If this happens, the entire community will deal with the culprit(s) harshly.

On Sunday 11th July 2010, the final day of the Soccer World Cup, our community will be staging a mini-soccer tournament that will be made up of residents from our community. ‘Zimbabwe’ will play against ‘Nigeria’ and ‘South Africa’ will play against a combination of ‘Malawi, Mozambique, Burundi, Congo and Tanzania’. The winners will play the finals and losers will battle for 3rd and 4th position.

After the soccer tournament all are welcome to join us in the Schubart Park hall for a film screening on xenophobia. After the film we will have a discussion and finally at 19h00, a closing ceremony to our own xenophobia-free, ‘World Cup’. We will then watch the final game together in the hall.

OUR PROGRAMME: 13h00 to 13h45 1st soccer match

13h50 to 14h35 2nd match

15h40 to 16h25 (3rd/4th place match)

16h30 to17h15 (1st/2nd match – final)

17h30 to 18h30 – Xenophobia film screening

18h30 to 19h00 – Debates on Xenophobia

For more information contact:

Aubrey Ramotlhale 0737213441

Mashao Chauke 0822126518

Ali Mashimbye 0829703761