Was it Kenya that began the year with tribal killings? It all emanated from unresolved land and unemployment issues. Just nearing mid year, the ghettoes of South Africa had smoke. The natives were flushing out the “foreigners”: Zimbabweans, Kenyans, Somalis, Mozambiques, name them.
It was reported that South Africans were whining that the “foreigners” had taken their jobs, provided cheap labour, even their women. The huge blame was masked on the Zimbabweans who are more than a million in South Africa due to bad political and economic conditions back at home.
More than 20 are dead and a number of “foreigners” are injured.
The South African government and the African National Alliance (ANC) chairperson, Jacob Zuma have condemned such acts and called it most a shaming.
The issue here is that the South African government failed to lower the unemployment levels rated at 23%. The anger from its citizens in the suburbs is an indication that the government has not been strategizing to lessen this aching problem.
South Africa is assumed to be one of the most industrialized states in Africa, and with development it draws experts from all over the continent.
The people in the ghettoes do not appreciate the interplay of demand and supply.
For sure Africans are quick to forget some issues that make them. During the apartheid, South African political activists were everywhere in the continent, more so Zimbabwe and Mozambique. But, why kill?
Xenophobic attacks are a sad story for this developing continent and should not be tolerated. If citizens of a country have a problem with a government, they should question the authorities not the non-citizens, or “foreigners”.
Labels: Africa, Politics, South Africa, Zimbabwe
This reminds me of a short story, 'Africa Kills Her Son.' It is still doing so. The xenophobic violence in South Africa is an unfortunate thing. The absurd thing is the 'other foreign races', apart from the 'Foreign Africans' were untouched in the spate of the violent killings. Compared to foreign Africans in S.A, the other foreigners, especially the Indians, Pakistanis and the Whites have taken over more jobs in S.A compared to our fellow African 'foreigners.' The whole situation is complex, and this might have been a machination from the West to continue destabilising Africans, as was alleged, and as has been the case since the time of slavery. Africa should unite, and not kill her sons and daughters.