Opinion / Columnist
South African government modifies xenophobia
29 Apr 2015 at 14:26hrs | Views
A question of who fueled the attacks on Foreign nationals which started towards the end of the year 2014 in Soweto and only got more serious and deadly in these past two weeks, robbing Africa of 7 special souls and economic blossom, can now be answered.
Two weeks ago South Africa a rainbow nation as it is described in the country constitution attracted attention from all corners of the world, with foreign nationals being doused with petrol and set alight alive. Pictures of a Mozambican Emmanuel Sithole whose flesh and soul was torn apart by a press button knife by youths in the wake of the foreign nationals attacks in the township of Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, flooded the media houses and social networks. Commenting on his killing, the president of South Africa, Hon Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma described the incident as the most gruesome killing that South Africa has ever witnessed. All most all leading humanitarian organizations and political parties which include the ruling ANC have come out in open condemning the attacks but the remains, who incited the attacks. Was it engineered from grassroots by the povo of South Africa, and or was it really a fight over limited economic resources as some analysts have concluded about it? Was it a political move through which a certain political organization aimed at garnering support from the poor South African communities, just the same way Robert Mugabe garnered support from the poor Zimbabweans some 15 years ago and has seen Zimbabwe moving from being the Basket of Africa to being a Begging Basket of Africa?
Late last year ANC's Nomvula Mokonyane, the Gauteng premier and the Personal Advisor of President Jacob Zuma, Lindiwe Zulu, who were on different occasions quote as firing at foreign nationals whom they said had covered every street and every corner of the township doing businesses and they should know that the South African government would never dare serve their interests at the expense of the local people respectively.
On 17 March 2014, supporting the motion that President Zuma should be recalled, Julius Malema's EFF raised concerns that the South African people lived in serious poverty while "Shangaans", roamed the streets, selling toilet chambers which should have been given to South African communities, to which when they were questioned as to why they incited tribal discrimination in a parliament which had Shangaan/ Tsonga people in it, their Spokesman Mbuyiselo Ndlozi said "Shangaan" was a name which was most often used in townships referring to foreign nationals. The " unfortunate but eagerly awaited" surfaced after the Foreigners Must Leave sentiments by the South African and the Zulu King, uZwelakhe King Goodwill Zwelithini, when the attacks on foreign nationals got officially launched at iSiphingo area in Durban. People were severely beaten up, foreign owned shops looted while others were killed in the process.
On Monday 27 April, while celebrating the very same article of the South African freedom charter which cites that South Africa belongs to all who live in it and " living " words of the liberation icon Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela who said never should there be witnessed oppression of one by the other again in South Africa, the Minister of Home Affairs Melusi "uMfana waseMagwegwe" Gigaba in a joint venture operation with South African Defense force minister, Mrs Nosiviwe Maphisa Ngqakula, deployed troops and crews of soldiers and home affairs officials who swept through the streets of Hillbrow and Beria, arresting all illegal immigrants. One will remember that Hillbrow Beria and Yeoville suburbs in Johannesburg is the United States of Africa. All African foreign nationals are housed and run their small businesses there. Both the perpetrated Xenophobic attacks of 2008 and two weeks old failed to make inroads into those suburbs because of the flags that fly there.
Therefore for a successful and an inroad that can go unchallenged, the ministries of Gigaba and Mrs Ngqakula have conformed and brought xenophobia in a legal way.
The questions come back again. Who fueled Xenophobia? Wasn't this xenophobia politically influenced? Why has the government suddenly decided to crack down on foreign nationals in Johannesburg even before the arrested perpetrators of the recent violence have appeared before the court of law? Let people judge.
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Brian Sherif can be contacted at bsherif000@gmail.com
Two weeks ago South Africa a rainbow nation as it is described in the country constitution attracted attention from all corners of the world, with foreign nationals being doused with petrol and set alight alive. Pictures of a Mozambican Emmanuel Sithole whose flesh and soul was torn apart by a press button knife by youths in the wake of the foreign nationals attacks in the township of Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, flooded the media houses and social networks. Commenting on his killing, the president of South Africa, Hon Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma described the incident as the most gruesome killing that South Africa has ever witnessed. All most all leading humanitarian organizations and political parties which include the ruling ANC have come out in open condemning the attacks but the remains, who incited the attacks. Was it engineered from grassroots by the povo of South Africa, and or was it really a fight over limited economic resources as some analysts have concluded about it? Was it a political move through which a certain political organization aimed at garnering support from the poor South African communities, just the same way Robert Mugabe garnered support from the poor Zimbabweans some 15 years ago and has seen Zimbabwe moving from being the Basket of Africa to being a Begging Basket of Africa?
Late last year ANC's Nomvula Mokonyane, the Gauteng premier and the Personal Advisor of President Jacob Zuma, Lindiwe Zulu, who were on different occasions quote as firing at foreign nationals whom they said had covered every street and every corner of the township doing businesses and they should know that the South African government would never dare serve their interests at the expense of the local people respectively.
On 17 March 2014, supporting the motion that President Zuma should be recalled, Julius Malema's EFF raised concerns that the South African people lived in serious poverty while "Shangaans", roamed the streets, selling toilet chambers which should have been given to South African communities, to which when they were questioned as to why they incited tribal discrimination in a parliament which had Shangaan/ Tsonga people in it, their Spokesman Mbuyiselo Ndlozi said "Shangaan" was a name which was most often used in townships referring to foreign nationals. The " unfortunate but eagerly awaited" surfaced after the Foreigners Must Leave sentiments by the South African and the Zulu King, uZwelakhe King Goodwill Zwelithini, when the attacks on foreign nationals got officially launched at iSiphingo area in Durban. People were severely beaten up, foreign owned shops looted while others were killed in the process.
Therefore for a successful and an inroad that can go unchallenged, the ministries of Gigaba and Mrs Ngqakula have conformed and brought xenophobia in a legal way.
The questions come back again. Who fueled Xenophobia? Wasn't this xenophobia politically influenced? Why has the government suddenly decided to crack down on foreign nationals in Johannesburg even before the arrested perpetrators of the recent violence have appeared before the court of law? Let people judge.
-------------
Brian Sherif can be contacted at bsherif000@gmail.com
Source - Brian Sheriff
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