By Roland Thabo Mpofu
Members of the Vatsonga Machangani community marched to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Johannesburg on Friday, calling for urgent action against what they describe as growing ethnic profiling and discrimination amid rising anti-immigration tensions.The protesters handed over a memorandum alleging that Tsonga-speaking South Africans are increasingly being mistaken for undocumented foreign nationals because of their language, names and cultural identity.
The march comes just days before the June 30 deadline announced by the anti-immigration movement March and March, which has intensified debate around undocumented migration and border security.In the memorandum, the Vatsonga Machangani Association of South Africa urged the SAHRC to investigate allegations of discrimination, publicly condemn ethnic profiling and help educate the public about the history and identity of the Vatsonga people.
The association also called for stronger protection of constitutional rights to equality, dignity and cultural identity, while urging authorities to hold accountable those responsible for ethnically motivated intimidation and violence.
National coordinator Wandile Malileke said members of the community have increasingly become victims of misidentification.”The commission has the responsibility to educate other tribes about the existence of the Vatsonga Machangani people to avoid further violations,” he said.The memorandum argues that incidents of harassment stem from ignorance and unlawful vigilantism.”These injustices are rooted in misidentification, ignorance and unlawful vigilantism, which have in some instances escalated to fatal incidents,” the memorandum states.
The association also referred to the death of 19-year-old Nhlamulo Sambo, who was allegedly mistaken for a foreign national during anti-immigration unrest in Mossel Bay earlier this year. Organisers said the incident highlighted the dangers of targeting people based on their language or appearance.Protesters said some Tsonga-speaking South Africans have been stopped by civilians and asked to produce identity documents, while others have become reluctant to speak Xitsonga in public for fear of being harassed.
The SAHRC received the memorandum and is expected to consider the concerns raised by the community.The march adds a new dimension to South Africa’s immigration debate, highlighting concerns that efforts to address undocumented migration should not result in the violation of the rights of South African citizens or the targeting of people based on their ethnicity or language.
