BUT WHY SOUTH AFRICANS?

Sir,

Allow me to vent out my feelings on the xenophobic acts playing out in neighbouring South Africa, of which I found as an insult to other fellow Africans, especially from a country where not too long ago, States like ours contributed towards their freedom. However, this is not to say they owe us anything, I’m just questioning the love between Africans. Where is ubuntu?

I ran short of words to describe the xenophobic South Africans who have been torching foreign businesses, brutalising foreigners and looting their shops.
I understand the ‘actual’ bone of contention was the issue of a local taxi driver who was shot dead by a foreign national drug dealer. However, as far as I perceive it, this is not about the barbaric murder of the innocent driver, judging from the content we see in the media; fellow humans torched alive, businesses looted and torched down and human beings brutalising each other. This is just insane!

Such demonstrates deep-rooted hatred and plain cruelty, a sign of how the decay of morals in South Africa runs deep. Somebody said such is an adverse effect of years of oppression through apartheid.

Perpetrators

Forgive me but I certainly do not think so. Most of these perpetrators are young people who are discontented over their own social problems their own government cannot address, such as unemployment, and then they look for a scapegoat to put the blame on. And guess who they saw?
Another fellow human; a human who saw an opportunity, a gap in the market, deep inside their territory. I am not talking about drug dealers but I am talking of legal foreign businesses. They are complaining that they came to steal their wealth yet they have no desire to seek wealth.

And the funny part is that the foreigners control a very small part of the wealth, way below what South Africans control.
Such is among one of the most appalling acts of dehumanisation I have ever witnessed in the short years I have lived.

Belong

When young people take part in such disgusting acts, I begin to imagine the future of that country. I see hostile, cruel leaders with no regard but themselves, forgetting that Africa is our only home. I am liSwati as much as I am South African and vice versa, same goes for Nigeria and every other country in the continent. We belong to each other.

The youth lacks a desire to create business ventures, which is a problem in almost every SADC country and it’s so disheartening when you harass your fellow brother for trying to make ends meet. At least he is going to spend in your country unlike the wealthier people who will take profits into offshore accounts.
The influx of foreigners is an issue even in our country, however, I pray my fellow youth will not be ‘inspired’ by such barbaric activities. Such cases have to be solved amicably and diplomatically by the concerned authorities.

Imagine the relations between Nigeria and South Africa, even other countries are beginning to shun them, and the perpetrators are boldly declaring that ‘they don’t care’.

I see something bigger looming if this is not solved. Coming to our country, I cannot even begin to imagine us dragging Mozambicans and Asians along the streets, telling them to go home.

Instead, we should be engaging with the parties on how we could improve the economy through their investments, and how they could adequately provide more decent opportunities for locals. Burning people and destroying our own country should not be the answer.

Scenes

The scenes going around chilled me to the bone and sadly, these perpetrators do not care, having seemingly forgotten that the whole world is watching.
What impression are they giving to the world? Mandela must be tossing and turning in his grave. And I cannot begin to imagine the few, apartheid-leftovers in the suburbs who are watching, waiting to see how the government will play this out.

Linda N

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