Ethiopian refugee confronts protesters in South Africa as xenophobic tensions deepen

Ethiopian refugee confronts protesters in South Africa as xenophobic tensions deepen
Ethiopian refugee confronts protesters in South Africa as xenophobic tensions deepen - Foreign-owned shops were looted, including this one run by an Ethiopian. (Photo: BBC via Addis Standard)
Foreign-owned shops were looted, including this one run by an Ethiopian. (Photo: BBC via Addis Standard)

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The Ethiopian shop owner, who requested anonymity, told marchers in Chief Albert Luthuli, Ekurhuleni, that he was a legally documented refugee with the right to live and work in South Africa.

An Ethiopian refugee who has lived in South Africa for more than 16 years confronted anti-immigrant protesters demanding that he shut down his tuck shop and leave the country, insisting that South Africa had become his only home, according to a report by South Africa’s News24.
The outlet reported that the Ethiopian shop owner, who requested anonymity, told marchers in Chief Albert Luthuli, Ekurhuleni, that he was a legally documented refugee with the right to live and work in South Africa.
“I am a refugee, I have rights. I have the right papers,” he said in a video recorded during the confrontation, according to News24. Protesters rejected his argument, telling him that his rights belonged in Ethiopia rather than South Africa.

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The Ethiopian responded that he no longer had a country to return to and argued that refugees were entitled under South African law to earn a livelihood. He said operating a small business was necessary for survival because no one provided refugees with food or income.
According to News24, the shop owner said he had closed his business during the march to avoid confrontation but reopened later, prompting protesters to return and demand that he shut it permanently. He maintained that he had the legal right to continue operating because he possessed the required documentation.
The protest formed part of a wider anti-immigration march that began in Daveyton before moving to Chief Albert Luthuli. Marchers submitted a memorandum to police demanding action against alleged illegal immigration and unlicensed businesses before calling on foreign-owned tuck shops to close immediately.

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News24 reported that protesters also urged police to arrest landlords renting premises to foreign shop owners, but officers declined, leading organisers to end the demonstration, accusing police of failing to cooperate.
The incident comes amid growing anti-immigrant unrest across South Africa. In a separate report, AFP said Ghanaian President John Mahama renewed calls for the African Union to place the country’s escalating xenophobic violence on the agenda of its next summit, warning that the attacks threatened African solidarity.
AFP reported that Mahama said South African authorities had not responded with the urgency the situation required and urged the AU to take a more active role. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, however, said his government agreed that irregular migration should be addressed “in a human way” and not through citizens taking the law into their own hands.
According to AFP, more than 160,000 foreign nationals have left South Africa over the past two months as anti-immigrant protests intensified, with several deaths reported during the unrest. The violence has also prompted criticism from several African governments, including Ghana, and heightened diplomatic pressure on Pretoria.

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