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S. Africa apologizes over xenophobic attacks

Xinhua, June 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Visiting South Africa Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday offered apology to Kenyans, condemning recent the brutal xenophobic attacks and apologized for the loss of lives.

Ramaphosa, who addressed thousands of Kenyans during celebrations to mark 52 years of internal self-rule in Nairobi, said his country want to demonstrate unity as Africans for the continent to prosper.

"I apologize to Kenyans and the rest of Africa for the unfortunate events that recently took place in South Africa. We are all one united in the love of our continent," said Ramaphosa who is in Kenya to meet Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta over South Sudan crisis.

One Kenyan was killed in South Africa's xenophobic rampage in April. Hassan Stima, a former casual laborer, is said to have been attacked in his house on April 17 in Johannesburg.

A wave of xenophobic attacks against foreign African nationals hit the cities of Durban and Johannesburg in April. Foreign nationals were accused of taking away jobs and businesses from natives.

Several African governments whose citizens were victims of xenophobic attacks had also threatened to shut down South African owned business operating in those countries.

Ramaphosa said South Africa will still continue hosting immigrants from foreign countries.

"We are part of Africa, and we will continue to welcome you to South Africa. We want to embrace you and work with you," he said. "I welcome Kenyans and the rest of Africa to South Africa; we are sorry for the recent Xenophobia attacks in our country."

Ramaphosa, who has held talks with President Kenyatta and also attended celebrations in Nairobi, will later travel to Juba in South Sudan to help solidify a political deal there.

Ramaphosa's spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said the deputy president is the Special Envoy of South African President Jacob Zuma to South Sudan and will be joined by Abdurahman Kinana, the secretary general of Tanzania's ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, as a co-guarantor of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) Reunification Agreement.

The Reunification Agreement was signed in Arusha, Tanzania, earlier this year by various factions of the SPLM. Endi