XENOPHOBIA: AN AFRICAN TIME BOMB

 Xenophobia is one thing that South Africans should not embraced because in my opinion I view xenophobia not being different from terrorism or slavery, but the fact that notable figures such as king Goodwill Zwelthini of Kwazulu and the president's son openly supporting it, then I am forced to a conclusion that South Africa is back stabbing the African leaders, countries and the gesture of humanity they showed the people of south African during the apartheid era. For African countries embraced and welcomed South Africa political refugees with open hands, but open hatred through xenophobia is what Africa gets in return. And what I see is a seed of hate sown in mid-2008 when South African government failed to prosecute the criminals and today the government is failing to stop the recent attacks on fellow African because the seed of hate planted seven years ago has outgrown the system, therefore government efforts cannot contain it.

                                                          

REALITY TIME CHART   1. King Goodwill Zwelthini, the originator of the recent attacks on foreigners was once provided with passport and financial aid to escape the brutal apartheid regime and exiled to St. Helena from 1968 to 1971. It important to understand that the African countries that King Zwelthini is today calling 'foreigners' are the same countries that funded for his escape.	WHAT IGNORANT SOUTH AFRICANS THINK? 1. Africans are stealing our job, forgetting the fact that, most of Africans that go to south Africa are professionals that contribute to the social and economic development of the country.
2. Today south Africans are calling neighboring countries 'dirty and undeveloped', but the truth is that leaders like Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia risked the collapse and progress of Zambia to oppose apartheid through funding of the Africa National Congress (ANC). And it is this supported that risked Kenneth Kaunda's governance by agents of apatheid.	2.All foreigners are 'aliens' or illegally in south African forgetting the fact that most of the foreigners in south Africa are legally there and are abide to rules and laws of the land.
3. During the apartheid era, Nigeria contributed US$61 billion to black south Africans during the apartheid struggle from 1974 to 1994 to combat apartheid. And the above sum was raised through civil servants donating 5% of their salaries to fight apartheid.	3. African foreigners’ equals trouble and competition while treating foreigners from India and China as potential investors whether legally or illegally staying in south Africa.
4. And we cannot forget efforts by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigerian only prime minister who was the first to advocate against apartheid and the first leader to provide financial aid at the expense of his citizens.	4. Foreigners are source of unfulfilled promised by the government and the ruling party.
5. During apartheid, neighboring countries and many other African countries schools and universities were flooded with south African combatants turned students and yet no citizen put a restriction on the ungrateful south African who are now repaying with hate. For South Africans in Zambia were considered Zambian and were given equal treatment.	5. South Africans are superior compared to other Africans.
6. During apartheid, the south African defence force attacked neighboring countries that hosted the African national congress (ANC) bases.	6. South Africa does not need the rest of Africa, but needs the Indians and Chinese.

And if the south African people feel the is need for an immigration crackdown, I absolutely agreed there is need to control immigration through a 21^st styled method should be used and they should not stigmatize every African immigrant in south African as illegal. For violence is a tool of the oppressors such as Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab and should not be used to counter attack immigration.

Furthermore, for those that do not understand the term 'xenophobia' then I will simply define it as 'unseasoned fear or hate towards foreign' and this hate is motivated and directed to fellow Africans by Africans. And I believe it’s time to let the people of South Africa and the leadership that’s 'Africans' lives matter' and we shall not lie a blind eye or deaf ear to the crying and lost lives. For Africa is everybody's home despite the race, sex and language.

On paper through embassies protocols, agreements, bilateral and treaties, Africans are free to live anywhere in Africa but in reality as in South Africa, brutal killings is the harsh anthem fellow Africans cry. For Africa faces an uncertain future of doom characterized by religious radicalism and hate such as xenophobia and it is the duty of ever African to take responsibility and advocate against the recent violence.

In conclusion, I believe South Africans are using foreigners as scapegoats for their anger and frustration over lack of service delivery by the government and it’s important for the citizens to channel their energy towards their government. And it’s equally important for the rest of Africa not to boycott products and businesses by South Africans, because that will only harm our own economies for injustice cannot be solved by another act of injustice.

  

Written and edited by:

 Sishumba Musanda