Business leaders, together with the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry , met police minister Bheki Cele on Monday, to air their grievances about the knock-on effects of the recent xenophobic violence in Gauteng.
Last week, people in Nigeria had reportedly turned on SA-owned businesses such as Shoprite in retaliation to the violence against foreign nationals in parts of Pretoria and Johannesburg. “We urge all our people from across the continent, irrespective of their nationality, to shun violence,” MultiChoice said, which hosted the engagement at its campus in Randburg.
The violence against foreigners, mainly African immigrants, overshadowed the last week's World Economic Forum conference in Cape Town aimed at boosting inter-Africa trade and caused diplomatic strain with other African countries including Nigeria.It also threatened to undermine President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to position SA as a friendly investment destination as he tries to break SA out of a low-growth trap with foreign capital and structural policy reforms.