South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed concern over the influx of thousands of Zimbabweans into South Africa due to economic hardships.
Ramaphosa held a meeting in Pretoria on Monday with the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa (FOCCISA), and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) secretary-general Kenneth Mtata was in attendance. In a statement after the meeting, Mtata said:
The president (Ramaphosa) also noted that many migrants to SA were Zimbabweans and that two of them had died during the recent xenophobic attacks.
He expressed his sorrow about this loss. He also mentioned his concern about the challenges that Zimbabwe continues to face, leading to many fleeing that country.
In September this year, violence broke out across South Africa with the locals targeting foreigners and foreign-owned businesses.
About 170 Zimbabweans were reported to have been displaced in the attacks, with the government helping some of them return home.