Former president Thabo Mbeki has revealed that the deadly 2008 xenophobic attacks in Alexandra, Johannesburg, were part of a deliberate campaign to convince Zimbabweans to return home and vote out Robert Mugabe.
Mbeki revealed the surprising findings last Wednesday during a student engagement at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria.
He said that the operation was driven by a planned effort to force Zimbabweans to return home and vote against then-President Robert Mugabe.
This occurred in March 2008, when opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Mugabe failed to secure a 50% majority, forcing a run-off election in June.
Mbeki stated that Alexandra township has traditionally attracted and hosted numerous foreign nationals from various African countries, with no tension.
“Historically, the African population here [referring to South Africa] has never been xenophobic toward other Africans. In 2008, all manner of turmoil broke out in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, including attacks against these foreigners, mainly Zimbabweans.
He added the attacks expanded throughout the province, with people advocating for xenophobia and afrophobia.
Mbeki, South Africa’s president from 1999 to 2008, stated that when he watched the attacks, he recognized it was not the township he knew.
“For decades, Alexandra has had Zimbabweans, Mozambicans, and so on. There was never this level of antagonism. Why?.”
He said that the administration made a mistake by not declassifying an intelligence document about what transpired in that area the same year.
“That event was planned to drive Zimbabweans back to their home country because there were elections there. People were out because they were opposing Bob (Robert Mugabe) there.”
Mbeki further revealed that the intelligence report included names, dates, and locations where people met to plot the operation of returning foreign nationals to their home country.
The former president expressed sorrow for not declassifying the intelligence report during his tenure.
“That was wrong. It was organized, systematic, and for political reasons. I’m arguing we made a mistake and should have declassified that intelligence report.”
He stated that South Africa’s economy is in crisis, which is not caused by outsiders.
“I am a former president of this country, and you will never convince me that the economy is in turmoil because of outsiders. “It’s not true,” he remarked as kids applauded his statements.
Mbeki stated that among other factors contributing to the country’s economic predicament is the skyrocketing unemployment rate, which he believes must be addressed.
“At the same time, the country has suffered a loss in terms of human migration. Let us enforce the laws. You just came here illegally. So the statement regarding undocumented people being registered is correct. But I am suggesting that it is erroneous to believe that the economic crisis was created by people from other parts of the world.
According to the Mail & Guardian, Mbeki’s recent comments regarding the attacks were an extension of what happened in 2008, when he branded the violence as “naked criminal activity”.
“What happened during those days was not inspired by possessed nationalism, or extreme chauvinism, resulting in our communities violently expressing the hitherto unknown sentiments of mass and mindless hatred of foreigners – xenophobia,” he said at the time.
