South Africa businesses under pressure over xenophobic attacks

Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed speaks, during a Reuters interview in capital Nairobi April 7, 2015. Kenya needs more help from its U.S. and European allies with intelligence and security measures to help prevent further massacres by Somali militants, Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed told Reuters on Tuesday. Picture taken April 7, 2015 REUTERS/Noor Khamis

Kenya: Dozens of South African businesses operating in Kenya, and around Africa, could be exposed to retribution for the xenophobic attacks targeted at immigrant workers in the continent’s second largest economy.

The South African government last week warned of a heightened possibility that its nationals and companies with operations in other countries could suffer a backlash as a result of the deadly attacks on foreigners.

Numerous South African companies have operations in Kenya. They operate in sectors such as banking, insurance, media, retail tourism and engineering. Old Mutual, Stanbic Bank and Mulitichoice – the owners of DStv, are just some of the major South African firms with operations in the country.

“The impact of attacks has far-reaching implications on our economic, social and relations with the continent and the world,” Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said.

successful businesses

“South African companies who are running successful businesses in the continent help to contribute to our revenue and sustaining our economy may suffer the same fate,” he added.

The South African-based media company, Multichoice Africa, this week condemned the xenophobic attacks currently spreading across the rainbow nation. The multinational company believes the attacks put some of its staff at risk and in harm’s way.

“MultiChoice is appalled by the acts of violence being perpetrated against our fellow brothers and sisters in South Africa and strongly condemns these acts. As a multi-cultural African organisation, we respect and embrace diversity, and all the different traditions and religions across the continent,” it said in a statement.

Most of the violent attacks have been carried out in the larger Durban area of Kwa Zulu Natal and officers from the Kenya Mission were scheduled to visit the area from Friday last week to meet with Kenyans and assess their situation.

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed (pictured) has reported that the country was seeking to evacuate its citizens from South Africa, but was as at late last week still ‘closely monitoring the situation’.

She was yet to confirm by late evening yesterday on the progress of the planned evacuation amid increasing fears of even deadlier attacks in the black on black violence reported over the last two weeks.

 

It is estimated that about 400 Kenyans are in the central business district of Durban; about 100 work in the informal sector, while another 50 are employees of two sugar farms in the outskirts of Durban city. In addition, there are about 300 students and lecturers in Kwa Zulu Natal University in Pietermaritzburg, Kenya’s foreign ministry reported.

Mulitichoice is Kenya’s largest provider of pay television through the GOtv and DStv brands, whose collective subscriber base is expected to rise steadily as the country advances of the process of ditching analogue broadcast and shifts to digital television platform.

Radebe’s sentiments came just days before a fatal attack on a Mozambican national by a mob to elicit international condemnation.

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