It has been described by some people as “state xenophobiaâ€. Others have even gone so far as to call it “ethnic cleansingâ€.
But the South African government seems clueless as to how much damage Operation Fiela is inflicting on the image of this country.
The police, the department of home affairs and the army have conducted massive raids nationwide – often banging on doors and dragging people out, including scared children in their pajamas – in the search for undocumented foreign nationals.
Those arrested have been verbally abused and kicked. They have been denied representation, according to lawyers involved in the cases. The irregularity has been startling.
And then this.
Minister Radebe:3914 arrests were recorded on various integrated operations under Operation Fiela in 9 provinces #WeAreAfrica @GovernmentZA
— GCIS Media Liaison (@GCISMedia) May 17, 2015
To the person in government who thought it was appropriate to tag #WeAreAfrica with the arrest of almost 4,000 foreign nationals though Operation Fiela: get in touch. We’d like to chat to you about your lack of irony (since we’ve long given up on this government’s sense of humanity).
