From south africans with hate.

From SA with hate

 April 23, 2015

 Written by The Nation

• Nothing justifies the current outbreak of xenophobic attacks in South Africa but African leaders must wake up

The world is once again scandalised at the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa, the land of the much revered Madiba. The pictures are as gruesome as they are surreal; in an age where images are streamed live as events happen the world is regaled with savagery that is instantaneous and blood-cuddling.

We have seen scenes of a mob of young, black men chase down a fellow black man on the streets of Johannesburg or Durban in broad daylight. The hapless lad is cornered and mauled until he dies in cold blood. Just last weekend, a Mozambican, Emmanuel Sithole, was caught on video being circled by four South African youths who eventually knifed him to death on the street of Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg. This happened in daylight with a crowd watching and applauding.

In 2008, about 62 immigrants died in a rash of xenophobic attacks mainly in Johannesburg townships. The incidents dented the image of South Africa as an emergent ‘rainbow nation’ of multi-ethnic nationalities living in harmony.

The recent upwelling of angst is being attributed to tribal Zulu monarch Goodwill Zwetlithini’s speech March 20 in which he complained about his people being out of jobs as a result of an influx of immigrants. He was reported to have requested that foreigners should leave South Africa.

A coalition of groups in South Africa was also reported to have teamed up to send out sms messages to non-citizens warning them to leave the country immediately or face their wrath. Some of these groups include Patriotic Movement, Pan Local Forum, Unemployed Local Forum, Unemployed Workers Forum and Anti-Crime Movement.

They were quite explicit in their message which reads in parts: “Dear neigbours from Africa and other parts of the world, we have travelled the world and have not found one country that allows the floods of humans across its borders as South Africa is experiencing…

“We were seven million in Johannesburg in 2011. Today, we have an estimated 13 million. In Johannesburg alone, you have taken over entire suburbs (like) Yeoville, Berea, Bez Valley, Turfontein, among many. You have even moved into rural parts of our country that have 80 per cent unemployment, and there are no visible signs that you have jobs either.

“We want to be proudly part of the geographic construct called Africa but we are different from one another as Kenyans are from Nigerians; Ivorians from Chadians.

“We are pleading with you to return to your home countries. Go and build up those countries so that we can all live in economic, social and political prosperity and peace as neighbours. The genocide in this corner of Africa will be far worse than what happened in Rwanda in 1994…”

Already, no fewer than seven people have been killed, mainly Zimbabweans and Mozambicans. Over 900 immigrants from countries contiguous to South Africa have been evacuated.

Though only a few Nigerians have been affected so far with their shops looted or workshops burnt, movement has been restricted in the worst hit cities and activities of foreigners curtailed as most of them are huddled indoors. The police have been unable to stop the attacks for over a week and soldiers had to be called out by the South African government two days ago.

While many have condemned the attacks and also point to the South Africans repaying fellow Africans who were in the vanguard of their liberation from apartheid with bad coins, the problems run deeper. The recent uprising may well be early symptoms of the unraveling of the ‘rainbow nation’. With increasing misgovernance in recent years, conditions of living have continued to fall. Fewer jobs are created yet there is an influx from other African countries that are in even more severe conditions.

There may be need for the Africa Union (AU) to devise a concerted approach to the problem. Leaders, especially of Black African countries, must resolve to live up to their responsibilities and improve the conditions of living of their citizens. This kind of broad-based solution is required as danger of a continental economic crisis looms.