Legislation needed to curb hate crimes in north of Durban

An NGO says the attacks on Somali-owned shops in KwaMashu North of Durban are worrisome and should be viewed as xenophobic violence.
A number of shops at the township have been petrol bombed leaving their foreigner owners wounded with one succumbing to his injuries.
Sicelimpilo Shange-Buthange of the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants’ says if all spaza shops, including those run by South Africans were targeted then these could be viewed as just criminal acts.
Shange-Buthange believes the introduction of hate crime legislation in the country might assist in the curbing of such acts.
”Acts of violence, attacks or prejudice directed at particular groups – for instance foreigners – based on their nationalities, justice system would be able to deal with them in that regard.
”For now everybody is just dealt with like a criminal, but there’s always this added element of motivation. So the motivation is the hate – that I hate you because you are a foreign national” she said.

Resource: ecr.co.za