Civic organisation Vatsonga Machangana has warned that growing calls for action against illegal immigration are being distorted to target South Africans from the Vatsonga Machangana community.
In a public statement released on Friday, the organisation said recent nationwide marches had exposed deep social divisions, with some Vatsonga Machangana people allegedly being made to feel like foreigners in their own country.
The group said it supports the enforcement of immigration laws and recognises concerns about pressure on public services, employment opportunities, housing, clinics and schools.
However, it said frustration over unregulated migration should be directed at government failures in border management and law enforcement, rather than at fellow South Africans.
The organisation rejected claims that Vatsonga Machangana people are not bona fide South Africans, saying the community has deep historical roots in the country dating back centuries.
It called on civic movements and pressure groups campaigning against illegal immigration to stop using language and songs that portray Vatsonga Machangana people as foreign nationals, including the term “Amashangana”.
The group also called on institutions such as the South African Human Rights Commission and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities to intervene against ethnic prejudice.
It warned that failing to address ethnic divisions could lead to a repeat of the painful experiences of xenophobic violence, in which people have previously been targeted because of their language, accent or perceived origin.
The organisation urged the government to develop a long-term social cohesion strategy while also securing the country’s borders and enforcing immigration laws fairly and consistently.
It said no South African should be made to feel like a stranger in the land of their birth.
