The Western Cape is a province for all | Western Cape Government

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The Western Cape is a province for all

11 September 2019

In light of recent attacks against foreign nationals in other parts of South Africa, Premier Alan Winde, has called on residents of the Western Cape to reject any actions and any language which causes tension and fear based on intolerance.

 

Premier Alan Winde strongly condemned the recent attacks, some of which have been considered to be xenophobic.

 

“All forms of violence must be condemned. When it comes to xenophobia-related attacks, thankfully we have not experienced any legitimate instances in the province recently. In order to ensure that this remains the case, we implore residents of the Western Cape to practice understanding and respect for others and to value the human rights and contributions of everyone who lives here.”

 

Winde says the provincial government is working hard at making the Western Cape safer and providing more opportunities for everyone who lives here-regardless of their nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation or age.

 

“We ask residents to embrace diversity and not discrimination. As we work to make the Western Cape safer and better for everyone living here, we ask citizens to take up an active role. They can do this by not sharing fake news, hate speech or unconfirmed reports from untrustworthy sites on social media or shared in Whatsapp groups, which have the potential to harm rather than help. We ask residents to not be complacent and to report any potential threat or harm to the authorities immediately. And we call on our media to report responsibly and ensure the nature of incidents are investigated and reflected truthfully.”

 

The Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, says the provincial disaster management centre has an established Humanitarian Emergency Task Team looking into social community conflict matters on a regular basis.

 

“This task team comprises representatives from multiple stakeholder groups including the United Nations, SAPS and various national departments. We monitor and assess risks and work together to be as pro-active as possible in preventing issues like Xenophobia.”

 

Bredell says one of the greatest concerns and risks when it comes to xenophobic violence is the growing influence of social media.

 

“We want to urge the public to use great caution when disseminating any information on all social media platforms, including messaging services like Whatsapp. At the very least, reach out to authorities and ensure information is accurate and verified before sharing it.”

 

Winde concluded: “It is our duty as citizens to look after one another- to ensure that we don’t bring unintentional or intentional harm to any person who calls our province home, no matter where they originally come from.”

 

In the event of any social/community violence or related concerns, please contact your nearest South African Police Station directly. In addition, in the Western Cape the following numbers can be utilised in case of emergency too.

 

In case of emergency provincial numbers to call are:

 

Provincial Disaster Management                          021 937 6300/ 083 577 1100  

Cape Winelands: Langeberg Municipality        0860 88 1111

Eden District:                                                          044 805 5071

Central Karoo:                                                       023 414 2603

West Coast:                                                            022 433 8700

Overberg:                                                              028 271 8111

City of Cape Town:                                              107 landline or 021 480 7700

 

ENDS.

Media Enquiries: 

Media enquiries:

James-Brent Styan

Spokesperson for the Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell

Mobile:                   084 583 1670

Telephone:            021 483 2820

E-mail:                    James-Brent.Styan@westerncape.gov.za