Joint statement of International Socialist Tendency organisations in Africa:

1. International Socialists across the African continent categorically condemn the wave of xenophobic violence which rocked South Africa over the last week. These attacks against fellow poor working people and accompanied retaliatory action in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Zambia and other countries are unjustified and senseless.

Xenophobia and racism have grown over the last decade of a global economic crisis. Rightwing politicians and interests have tapped into the frustration and anger of millions of people who have been thrown into the abyss of hopelessness and frustration.

2. Nationalism, racism, ethnicism and all forms of anti-foreigner politics are aimed at dividing the working-class, our communities and the unemployed. The enemies of poor South African working masses are not poor people from other countries.

They are the rich local capitalists and their foreign imperialist partners.
They jointly run the big corporations, which make billions ...