Xenophobia in South Africa

I have been greatly disturbed by the recent wave of violence in South Africa. Violence brought about by fear. Not fear of the unknown as it is in most cases, but fear of foreigners or strangers. Some South Africans living in their shanty towns are murdering their neighbors they've known for 10 sometimes even 20 years. Why? Because they're "taking all of the South Africans Jobs and houses".

I'm trying to be objective but this just takes the cake, doesn't it? I mean picture this. This guy, your neighbor who may have come from anywhere, be it Ghana, Zimbabwe, DRC Congo, Nigeria...wherever, has been living with you in the same ghetto or shanty town for 10 to 20 years. The guy even has a South African wife and children born and bread in the country. Then all of a sudden he's stealing your jobs?!? Your chasing him away after 20 years. What about his wife and kids? Have you given them a thought? Who is he feeding with the job he has? I mean, he obviously isn't stealing enough because he's still your neighbour ain't he? I mean what would you like the guy to do...go to the job agency and say...."ummmh I'll just wait until all the South Africans get a job first and then I'll start working.....will you give me a call then?"

When you guys were under apartheid, you were shielded by your neighbours. They gave you protection, food and shelter sometimes at risk to themselves. Now you have a democratic government and instead of going to the government and kicking up a fuss on why the promises of houses and jobs given during the election, aren't being delivered....you resort to chasing away, brutally beating and murdering your own African neighbours. C'mon man......when are we gonna wake up?!

Africans in European countries are told to go back home all the time, they have to endure the racism, the weird looks they get in buses, the hard work for low pay, being overlooked for job opportunities because of their colour, or their accent, or the name they have. Everyday it's a struggle, but they persevere, everyday new measures are being put in place to make it more difficult for immigrants to enter a country let alone try and settle down. We can't have this happening in an African country...our own countries...and for it to be done by Africans...on fellow Africans or anybody for that matter is crazy.

I just finished watching the clip below so the wound is still fresh so to speak. Hence, the ranting today. This shouldn't be happening. We've had, and continue to have, enough civil wars already...Darfur, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi, DRC and Kenya to name a few. When do we say enough? I'm not advocating for "world peace", thats never going to happen, let's just not take the law into our own hands...ok I'm done...

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