Vandalised livelihoods of Bangladeshi expats in South Africa

It is extremely disturbing to learn of the plight of Bangladeshi expats in South Africa, as over 400 Bangladeshi-owned shops have been vandalised and looted in Free State's capital, Bloemfontein, since May 16. These attacks were carried out as part of the protest against the shortcomings of the local government in providing its services. No doubt the misled belief that migrants are "stealing" opportunities for locals is behind the targeted attacks on shops owned by Bangladeshis and other foreign expats.

The nearly 10,000 Bangladeshis living in and around the Bloemfontein area now fear for their lives and livelihoods. Those who have already lost their shops and businesses are currently taking shelter with other Bangladeshi migrants near the town. This large-scale vandalism has led to many losing everything they had. On top of this, those who want to return home to Bangladesh are unable to do so, given that entries from South Africa have been banned since April due to the fear of the country's Covid-19 variant spreading here.

While we realise how frustrating it can be to witness the local authorities not providing their due service to the members of the public, we condemn the targeted and ruthless attacks against the businesses and homes of Bangladeshis and other migrants by South African locals.

We also believe the Bangladesh government and its representative in South Africa, the Bangladesh High Commission in Pretoria, should act urgently to aid our expats who have suffered these attacks. Simply "collecting information about the incident", as the foreign minister said the high commission has been asked to do, is not enough. There needs to be a marked effort to help the affected come back to Bangladesh safely (with necessary health checks performed, of course) or to aid them in recovering their livelihoods in South Africa. We hope the high commission has made its concern for the safety of the lives and livelihoods of Bangladeshis known to the South African government which has an obligation to protect foreigners living in their country.