The president of South Africa, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa received the worst humiliation as he was booed and heckled on Saturday during his speech at Zimbabwe ex-leader Robert Mugabe’s funeral before he apologised for recent xenophobic attacks.
At least 12 people have been killed this month in a surge in violence and mob attacks against foreign-owned businesses in and around Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city.
A wave of jeers, boos and whistles interrupted Ramaphosa at the Harare national stadium as he started his eulogy at the state funeral for Mugabe, who died age 95 last week.
A pastor called on the crowd at to calm down, but they would not stop.
But a resilient Ramaphosa turned the thousands of jeers into Zimbabwean cheers, when he apologised for the violent attacks which had been inflicted on foreign nationals in Gauteng the past two weeks.
Speaking over the chorus of boos, Ramaphosa said: “In the past two weeks we have had challenges, some of which was directed at nationals from other countries.
“This has led to the deaths and injuries of other people – some of which were nationals of other countries, but the majority of which were South Africans.
“I stand before you to apologise for what has happened in our country,” said Ramaphosa to resounding cheers from the Zimbabwean mourning crowd.
South Africa, the continent’s second largest economy, is a major destination for other African migrants.
But they are often targeted by some locals who blame them for a lack of jobs.
But with shops and homes burnt and looted and clashes between armed mobs of looters and police, hundreds of migrants from Mozambique and Zimbabwe have fled to shelters.
Nigeria’s government has flown around 600 of its citizens home from Johannesburg after some of them were targeted in the violence.
AFP/The Zimbabwe Mail
