Violence in South Africa |10 September 2019
Mr Créa and Mrs Lauricourt
ANHRD reassures parents that their children are safe
All 19 Seychellois students studying in different universities in South Africa are safe and sound, the Agency forNational Human Resource Development has reassured parents and members of the public.
The reassurance from the chief executive of the Agency forNational Human Resource Development (ANHRD), Nadia Lauricourt came yesterday in the wake of the flare-up of xenophobic violence in South Africa, more specifically around the city of Johannesburg where mobs are targeting foreign-owned shops and stores.
As families and the Seychellois public watch the violence on their television sets, the main question everyone is asking is whether Seychellois students there are safe.
Speaking to the press yesterday morning, Ms Lauricourt said since the riots and violence started over a week ago, the agency has been in contact with the students as well as High Commissioner Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre who is based in South Africa.
“Right now in South Africa our Seychellois students are safe. Since the riots started we established contact with the students as well as our embassy in South Africa and since the last contact we made this morning (Monday), we have been assured that everything is fine and the students are still attending their classes,” said Mrs Lauricourt.
Most of the students except for one are studying in institutions outside Johannesburg with the majority at the 43 Air School in Port Elizabeth, two at the University of Cape Town, one at the Pretoria University and another one at the Port Elizabeth University.
The manager of ANHRD, Terrence Créa added that the agency is maintaining continuous contact with the students and the embassy while also closely following the developments there.
It is not the first time that Seychellois students’ safety in South Africa has come up after violence suddenly erupted.
In 2016, a dozen Seychellois students enrolled in South African universities returned to Seychelles to avoid violent protests by university students over the South African government’s plan to increase university fees.
“South-Africa is still a favoured country by scholarship applicants due to the similar climate and the quality of teaching and this is why ANHRD has kept it as an option for students who want to study there,” Mrs Lauricourt remarked.
She reassured parents that immediate actions will be taken if the situation escalates.
“The safety of our students is our number one priority and I want to reassure all parents that we are in contact with our embassy in South Africa,” she added.