Pay television service provider DSTV has broken its silence on the ongoing xenophobic violence in South Africa.
In a statement, Calvo Mawela, the Chief Executive Officer of Multichoice Africa, the company that owns DSTV, expressed condemnation for the violence.
Mr Mawela said the company was against discrimination in all its manifestations and was committed to uniting the African continent.
Among those affected by the violence are Kenyans living in South Africa, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the stewardship of Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma saying that the government is keenly following the situation.
DSTV is a popular pay television provider in Kenya and other parts of Africa because it offers the streaming of live European football matches which are popular in the continent.
Here is the company's full statement on the xenophobic violence in South Africa:
"MultiChoice is committed to uniting Africans through our programming and cultural initiatives. We advocate equality and condemn all forms of discrimination. The on-going violence in South Africa against foreign nationals, is against the spirit of Africa, and counter-productive to the decades of work done by African leaders and well-meaning organisations to unite the continent.
We are a proudly African company and although our story began in South Africa, today we represent the African continent in all its diversity through our presence across the region.We embrace and celebrate the diversity of varied nationalities, traditions, cultures and religions from across the continent and beyond. This is demonstrated through our multinational staff complement, our multicultural supply chain, as well as the local and international content that we showcase on both our DStv and GOtv platforms.
We believe Africa’s full potential can only be realised through dialogue, peace, and unity. This is a sombre period for every African on the continent and beyond, and we urge all our customers, followers, and stakeholders to shun violence.”