Several people have been killed and thousands of businesses owned by Indian-origin people have been attacked in the riots.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, appealing to the Union government to safeguard the Indian community, and particularly Tamil people living in South Africa, as the country is witnessing violent riots. “It has also been reported that the Indian community, including a large section of Tamil population, have suffered economic losses. It is learnt that they are also apprehensive of further escalation of tensions,” the letter stated. Chief Minister Stalin requested Jaishankar to take up the matter with the Government of the Republic of South Africa through diplomatic means and bring peace in the riot-affected areas.
The letter also urged the Indian government to hold talks with the South African government to “safeguard the life and property of the Indian community including persons from Tamil Nadu” in South Africa. Apart from Stalin, PMK leader and former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss requested the Union government to urgently intervene in the reported widespread attacks against Indians and Tamils in the country, as South Africa witnesses pro-Jacob Zuma riots. In a press statement, the PMK leader urged the Union government to depute and send a special envoy to South Africa to curb tensions.
The arrest of former president Jacob Zuma in South Africa has triggered violence in two of the most populous provinces in South Africa — Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, amid a spike of COVID-19 cases in the country. Thousands of Indian businesses have been vandalised and 72 people including Indians living in the country are said to have been killed in the bloody riots that took place after the arrest of Zuma.
Two days after the former president was arrested for ‘contempt of court’, Durban, where one million Indian-origin South Africans reportedly reside, saw massive riots. A reported 50,000 businesses have been impacted in Durban, and thousands of shops and warehouses owned by Indian-origin people were vandalised and even set on fire.
Why are Indians being targeted in the riots?
Former president Jacob Zuma is facing many criminal allegations including embezzlement of public funds, corruption, fraud and rape allegations during and post his presidency. However the most infamous of corruption charges is linked to the Gupta family, an influential family in South Africa with roots in India’s Uttar Pradesh. The president was reportedly close to the Gupta brothers. In 2016, the Interpol issued a red corner notice against the Gupta brothers over graft charges.
Following the riots, South Africa has deputed 25,000 troops to quell the unrest in Durban. On July 16, India reached out to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government. The government assured that the attacks were not racially motivated. S Jaisankar, Minister of
External Affairs spoke to Naledi Pandor, his counterpart in the South African government over a phone call to voice India’s concerns on the riots.
Source: The News Minute