You are reminded that these are the thoughts of one man. This is my attempt to redeem (for myself) the tarnished image of South Africa after upsurge the xenophobic attacks. For some they may appear to be justifications for South African attitudes. However, i hope those with a critical eye will view these thoughts as useful sidenotes as we try to understand and address the story of xenophobia. Please read, Reflections of a South African: Unpacking the baggage of Xenophobia (part 1), before continuing.
At the end of part one, I was starting to speak about how our leaders and other societal (authority) figures have at times encouraged a xenophobic attitude to fester.
Firstly, and most importantly, South Africans are given poor geographical education. It is rare to find a high school learner who knows the names, locations, capitals, presidents of at least fifty percent of the rest of African countries.
This disregard for the rest of Africa has led to South Africa being dubbed, Africa's United States.
It is therefore no surprise that South Africans are in the dark,let alone sympathetic, when it comes to the plight of refugees from wore-torn regions of Africa.
This ignorance is present at the highest levels of leadership, and has trickled down to those who are entrusted with public protection. The Police.
The police system is notorious for how differently they handle people of different races. Of course the South African black man has been at the mercy of the trigger-happy police since the beginning of the apartheid regime. However, things took a turn for the worst when the myth implicating Nigerians for importing drugs across our borders was circulated with vigour. This gave police license treat anyone suspected as being 'Nigerian' with the treatment usually reserved for stray dogs.
I was walking from the train station one day, and i pa**ed a police van that had five men lined up against it's sides, each one with their backs to the van. Two policemen were barking out orders and insults with liberal and nonchalant use of "kwiri-kwiri" (Xhosa version of kwere-kwere). After standing there for a while, i realised that the men where being ha**led for their IDs. Their inability to produce these was rewarded with hard slaps the cheek. All I could do was stand and watch.
It is said that the most unforgivable sin is not the evil of bad men, but the indifference of good men. Those of us who stood aside to watch similar events unfold are equally (if not more )accountable for Xenophobia along with those who beat, torched and pillaged. We allowed things to progress this far.
Hostility spread rapidly. Home affairs became a safe-haven for the xenophobic attendants. The workplace became unbearable. And of course, the foreigners living in the townships were vulnerable to the worst kinds of derision.
It was inevitable that violence would break out sooner rather than later.
(end of part 2)
Written by Wanda