TheCable

The Football Association of South Africa (SAFA) has condemned in all its ramifications the outbreak of xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in the country.

Dominic Chimhavi, SAFA’s head of communication, in a statement, said, “We want to reiterate that we don’t want to let fellow Africans feel unwelcome in our country.

“We continue to work hard to ensure that all Africans are welcome in our country; as they always welcome us with open arms in their own countries.

“As South Africans, we should remember that we are founder members of CAF; we hosted the first African World Cup, something which was celebrated all over the continent.

“Our continued progress in football is through Africa first, with Africa and with the support of Africa.

“As SAFA, we work with every single country on the African continent and we have consistently pursued the path of cooperation and solidarity with all African FA members.

“This however, does not stop us from condeming drugs and crime that is ravaging our society, especially the youth from all walks of life.

“We call upon the police to work around the clock to the deal with this scourge.

“However, the problem of drugs and crime is a problem that started even under the apartheid era while foreigners only started coming to South Africa after 1994.

“As SAFA, we call upon the Police to be vigilant and stop the barbaric attacks on foreign nationals in our country,”Chimhavi appealed.