AFRO-XENOPHOBIA:
THE CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA
It is
with much lamentation that I write this. My heart has been shattered by the
inhuman, horrendous and totally unnecessary violent attacks on foreigners-black
foreigners-in South Africa. My sympathies go out to all victims and their
families, and on the attackers and their supporters I wish a change of heart,
justice and punishment. In my opinion,
these murderous acts are not “xenophobic” in the sense of the word because they
are NOT targeted at ALL foreigners. Rather, they are targeted at “BLACK AFRICANS”.
The Caucasian and Asian population are not being victimized and persecuted, at
least not to the extent or on the scale of Black, African immigrants. This is
why I labeled the case “AFRO-XENOPHOBIA” which I define as “an excessive hatred
of black African expatriates”. This is not the first time Afro-Xenophobia has
reared its ugly head in the “Rainbow nation”. There were similar attacks in
Cape Town in 2006, Johannesburg in 2008, and as recently as last year and January,
2015 according to Human Rights Watch. When I heard of the recent attacks, I felt
compelled to begin an earnest search for the factors that fuelled such
atrocities. Information I have gathered through the media alleges that the
attacks were triggered by a speech from Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini in which
he is quoted as saying foreigners “should pack their bags and go” because they
are stealing jobs from citizens. Other sources i.e. The United Nations, say the
attacks follow labor disputes between citizens and migrant workers. I believe
both sources are right though only partly. Being the curious analyst I am, I
have taken time to analyze the situation in search for answers to the baffling
question “WHY?” Here is what I have unearthed.
First of all, South
Africa has a high rate of unemployment (about 24%) and even higher among black
South Africans. Independence in 1994 and the subsequent reconciliatory efforts
of the late icon Nelson “MADIBA” Mandela opened the doors of a fledging and
prosperous nation to the world and people were attracted to the vibrant
economy, the comparatively higher standards of living and the new
opportunities. Others, like refugees from Somalia and Eritrea sought safety
from violent conflict back home. Currently, South Africa’s migrant population
is about 2 million, approximately 4% of the population, adding to a rapidly
rising population, high poverty rate, high crime rate and rising unemployment. This
has created widespread frustrations with the Zuma administration and its
alleged incompetence in handling the country’s immigration and economic policies.
With such pent up frustrations and anger comes the tendency for the people to
vent their anger on those whom they perceive as the cause of their woes, in the
case of South Africa, that was the migrant population.
Until it ceded its
position to Nigeria in 2014, South Africa had long been the largest economy in
Africa, riding on the back of rich mineral deposits like gold and platinum as
well as a fledging manufacturing industry and ever expanding service sector.
Unfortunately, this laudable economic growth created vast economic inequalities
as postulated by the Nelson Mandela Foundation among others. This inequality
coupled with the huge influx of people from other African countries and from
Asia- notably Bangladesh and Pakistan - put added pressures on native black
South Africans who have historically had low literacy rates and therefore could
not find well-paying high-level jobs. To make matters worse, these poor,
uneducated South African lower class also lost out to immigrants in the
informal business sector as well. As an owner of a “spaza” (a small store) reported
to BBC, unlike the locals, foreigners form self-help groups and pool funds to
buy goods in bulk and at cheaper prices, creating a revolving fund with which
they expanded and sustained their small individual businesses. Similarly,
skilled and well educated migrants flooded the job market and began
establishing themselves in the middle class because the bulk of South Africa’s
black population is not very highly educated. This has created a long standing
and deep resentment for foreigners among some locals, all it takes are few
fiery words and divisive rhetoric to fuel violent xenophobic attacks.
But
then, why aren’t non-blacks attacked on similarly violent and large scale? The
answer lies I South Africa’s political history. Following independence in 1994
and years of reconciliation led by Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South
Africans have come to recognize and accept white and Asian South Africans as
fellow citizens. The inter-relations that forged a multi-racial citizenry has
almost totally eliminated the perceived racial differences that exist among black,
white and Asian South Africans. Overtime, this coexistence has made it almost
impossible to distinguish non-black South Africans from Caucasian and Asian
tourists and immigrants. In fact, the South Africans have devised an informal
identification system which distinguishes among immigrants. It might surprise
you to know that in South Africa, black African immigrants are called “Africans”
while all others are simply “expats” and while the general resentment is greater
towards “Africans” the “expats” are better tolerated. Thus, many South Africans
subconsciously have a greater affinity and tolerance for non-black migrants
than for Africans.
Moreover,
this same multi-racial nationality of South Africa has put the country in what
I call a “continental-identity crisis”. Many South Africans do not “fully”
identify with the country’s continental affiliation. To many, South Africa is a
“globe-state” of diverse cultural, racial and national backgrounds which just
happens to be on the Southern tip of Africa. Admittedly, South Africa’s position makes it
difficult to engage with other African countries, especially those in West Central
Africa. And given that migrants from
these areas pose the greatest competition for the menial, low-end jobs that many
black South Africans seek, it is not very surprising that they are accused of
and victimized for snatching jobs from the locals. With rising unemployment and
poverty, native South Africans are running out of jobs and are now demanding the positions of foreigners, especially those in the blue collar
sector who are-you guessed it- overwhelmingly African.
I find
it rather troubling that an illiterate local will attack a migrant doctor,
teacher or nurse for snatching his job but that is what the historical,
cultural and dire economic situations have degenerated a few South Africans to-
murderous hooligans hiding behind culture and ultra-nationalism to feed their
jealousy and resentment. For a country that endured the pains of apartheid, it
is heart-wrenching that South Africa is home to such horrendous crimes against
humanity. The blood of the innocent victims call for justice and I stand with
them with mine.
#STOPXENOPHOBIA.