SAfrica union to fight xenophobia

By James Macharia

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's biggest mineworkers' union said on Friday it would tackle xenophobia among its membership, but it dismissed the prospect that attacks on migrants could prompt an exodus of skilled miners.

Migrant workers are accused by many poor South Africans of taking scarce jobs and fuelling violent crime. At least 42 people have been killed and 25,000 others displaced as a result of attacks in shantytowns since May 11.

The unrest has since spread from the Johannesburg area to other parts of the nation.

"There is an agreement on how to engage with that, it is a problem and has to be addressed through mass meetings," said National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) President Senzeni Zokwana.

"Up to now there has been no exodus," he told Reuters by telephone on the sidelines of a two-day mining summit of NUM's leadership.

The agenda includes discussion of mine safety, attacks on foreigners and economic issues affecting mineworkers. Government officials and labour representatives are attending the summit.

Big mining companies in South Africa, which tend to employ significant numbers of African migrants, said their staff and operations had not been affected by the violence.

But the anti-immigrant attacks, if not quelled, could drive away trained miners, damaging the industry, Zokwana said.