Xenophobic South Africa

South Africa occupies
the Southern tip of Africa. It is a multiracial society having Africans, Europeans and Asians as citizens. It had a long history of apartheid. That is a policy of European superiority and separate existence. Nevertheless, opposition to apartheid grew in South Africa. The opposition was so intense that in 1976 rioting broke out in several cities including Soweto and Johannesburg. However, the country’s first non-racial democratic elections were held in April, 1994. Dr Nelson Mandela was elected president of the country while Mr W. Deklerk became his deputy.
Currently, South Africa has a lot of foreigners residing there. They include Africans such as Zimbabweans, Mozambicans, Malawians, Nigerians and others. Most others are students studying in various universities and colleges in South Africa. It is therefore shocking to witness the xenophobic attacks on foreigners whose labour is helping to build the South African economy. According to reports, the attacks have resulted in the destruction of lives and properties of foreigners in that country,
Those affected in the attacks included Nigerians who are living there as foreigners. Speaking in connection with the latest barbaric development in South Africa, the Nigerian Ambassador to that country, Uche Ajulu-Okeke says the loss of Nigerians include looted shops, burnt shops, two burnt mechanic workshops, eleven burnt cars and two cars. The Ambassador added that Nigerians had compiled damages to their properties and they totalled twenty one million naira which would be sent to the Federal Government for action. She said that in Durban, two of the three Nigerians who were wounded during the attacks had been treated and discharged from the hospital. She further said that in one of the hot spots at Jeppe, near Johannesburg, the mission assisted about fifty stranded Nigerians to re-settle. The Ambassador also stated that Nigerians suffered enormous damage in Johannesburg following the attacks. Altogether seven people have been killed and five thousand rendered homeless in the attacks on immigrant workers in South Africa.
In fact, these attacks should be condemned by the international community in the strongest terms. Societies interdepend on one another for mutual benefit. No country can stand on its own alone without having relations with another country. South Africa itself has relationship with other countries of the world including Nigeria. This is why I call the President of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma, to call his countrymen and women to order so that violence against foreigners in that country can stop.
This is not the first time immigrant workers are being attacked in South Africa. For instance, immigrant workers were attacked in Alexandra on May 11, 2008. The attacks later spread to places like Durban and Johannesburg. More than seventy lives were claimed by the attacks. Many others including Nigerians were injured. About seventy thousand immigrant workers were displaced.
Meanwhile, the attacks are linked to the unemployment situation in South Africa. But it should be realized that most of the blacks in that country lack skills. Instead of facing the reality of the situation they accuse immigrant workers from other African countries of causing their joblessness. Once again, we appeal to the authorities in South Africa to put a stop to these senseless attacks on foreigners. As already noted, we depend on one another for the progress of the world.
South Africa is believed to be prone to crime and violence. According to crime statistics of that country, fifty-two people are killed every twenty- four hours in South Africa. Yearly fifty-five women are raped and two hundred thousand robberies recorded. However, a few weeks to the violent attacks, many Nigerians complained about criminal attacks on them. Meanwhile, I appeal to the United Nations and the African Union to help save the situation by helping to resettle the displaced persons in South Africa.
In any case, to check further attacks on foreigners the authorities of South Africa should create skills acquisition centres for the people so that on graduation, they would be usefully employed. This way, they would be useful to their society.
Dr. Tolofari is a distinguished Life Fellow, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, Abuja.

Mann Tolofari