The Sunday News
THE Council of Southern Africa Football Associations has condemned the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa and will use the upcoming 2015 Cosafa Cup, which will be held in that country, to heal the wounds of the region.
Attacks on foreign nationals in parts of South Africa by locals have resulted in several deaths and displacement and injury of hundreds of foreigners.
Cosafa president Suketu Patel has led the condemnation of the attacks saying the Cosafa Cup should be used to tackle the xenophobia.
“Cosafa is a zone of multicultural backgrounds and we fully condemn the shameful xenophobia we are seeing in South Africa. However, we stand firmly behind South African Football Association (Safa) at this time and are looking forward to the Cosafa Cup 2015 as an opportunity for all countries in the region to come together in peace,” Patel said in a press release.
Former Namibia Football Association president John Muinjo, who is now chairman of Cosafa’s Referees Committee and a senior member of the executive, is also hopeful the Cosafa Cup 2015 can build solidarity.
“In support of the decision taken by the South African government as well as Sadc to denounce the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, I feel as Cosafa leaders we should also condemn the violence strongly,” Muinjo said.
“But football being a bridge-builder, we should in solidarity encourage Safa and Cosafa to host the tournament in South Africa as planned and by doing so demonstrating that as Africans we are against those barbaric acts and that Cosafa is determined to assist normalising the situation.”
The North West province, which will host the Cosafa Cup 2015 from 17-30 May, has not been affected and the South African government has made assurances that they are tackling the issue head-on.
Muinjo believes any suggestions the tournament should be shelved would be counterproductive.
“By shelving the tournament we are not by any means going to solve the problem, but in fact running away from it.”
Safa have already condemned the xenophobic attacks and called on the perpetrators to cease immediately.
“What is happening in certain parts of the country whereby fellow Africans are being subjected to all sorts of hate and abuse is quite unacceptable. This is not what the 2010 Fifa World Cup Legacy was all about. When we hosted the 2010 showpiece, it was an African World Cup, to unite the continent, speak and relate as a united family,” said Safa President, Dr Danny Jordaan.
“We as Safa are saying these barbaric actions must end; and end now. We fought against apartheid because it segregated society and xenophobia has the same apartheid tendencies.”
