[WORLD NEWS★★] SOUTH AFRICA MOVES TO QUELL ANTI-IMMIGRANT VIOLENCE
(P1) Shops and vehicles owned by foreigners were attacked in downtown JOHANESSBURG on Friday as the South African government tried to QUELL a wave of ANTI-IMMIGRANT VIOLENCE that has claimed at least four lives in the country.
(P2) Police officers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to DISPERSE crowds of immigrants from other African nations. They had armed themselves to protect their businesses against attacks by black South Africans, who had accused the immigrants of stealing their jobs.
(P3) The unrest started in the southern city of DURBAN, where four African immigrants were killed in attacks in recent days, fueled by a traditional leader’s XENOPHOBIC comments. It spread to Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, as national leaders responded slowly.
(P4) In an address to the National Assembly on Thursday, President JACOB G. ZUMA CONDEMNED the violence and APPEALED for calm. At the same time, Mr. Zuma said that he was “sympathetic” to the social and ECONOMIC CONDITIONS that seemed to underlie the attacks by mostly poor young blacks against immigrants from other African nations.
(P5) “There are SOCIO-ECONOMIC issues that have been raised which are being attended to,” he said. “These include complaints about illegal and UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS in the country, the increase in the number of shops or small businesses that have been taken over by FOREIGN NATIONALS and also perceptions that foreign nationals commit crime.”
(P6) He added, “We wish to EMPHASIZE that while some foreign nationals have been arrested for various crimes, it is misleading and wrong to label or regard all foreign nationals as being involved in crime in the country.”
(P7) With Africa’s most ADVANCED ECONOMY, South Africa is home to about five million immigrants, mostly from other African nations, but also from the Middle East and Asia.
(P8) In past waves of anti-immigrant violence, other Africans — who often run small businesses in areas with IMPOVERISHED black South Africans — have often been the target of resentment. In 2008, violence against African immigrants in Johannesburg led to 60 deaths.
(P9) The recent attacks began after GOODWILL ZWELITHINI, the traditional king of the ZULUS, the country’s largest ethnic group, railed against the presence of foreigners in a speech and told them to leave South Africa. While national politicians have condemned the violence, none have spoken out yet against the comments of the king, whose salary is paid by the government.
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Discussion Questions
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- According P9, what caused the anti-immigrant violence to start? Do you think it is fair?
- Is there anti-immigrant sentiments in your country as well? Share your observation with your Cambly tutor!
- Unlike most countries, the US is a country made of immigrants! Ask your Cambly tutor about his ancestor’s experience moving to the US.
Expressions to Practice
“With Africa’s most ADVANCED ECONOMY, South Africa is home to about five million immigrants…”(P7)
What does “economic conditions”, “foreign nationals” and “undocumented immigrants” mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
