Xenophobia in South Africa | Foreigners speak out Updated 06/05/2010

By Admore Tshuma recently in South Africa

THE suffering of Zimbabweans eking out a living in South Africa has reached genocidal levels requiring collective global justice intervention.

Since the adoption by the UN General assembly of the international Covenants on Civil and political Rights, and economic Social and Cultural rights in 1966 there has been more recognition of those living in sub-standard life solely because of the emerging standards of global justice, but why is it that these rights seem not to apply to suffering Zimbabweans.

Avoidable deaths, massacres and political violence perpetrated by Mr Mugabe are recognisable international crimes prosecutable in The Hague. Therefore, Zimbabweans have a right to escape from their country and seek protection, yet in South Africa they are so hated, even more than the biblical Satan.

Strangely the hatred, which last year resulted in violent xenophobia only applies to black Zimbabweans, not white Zimbabweans. White Zimbabweans do not even need to apply for legal paperwork to work or live in South Africa. They are acceptable. Its an issue of black on black. There is strong talk in Soweto, Johannesburg and Cape Town’s Khayelitsha that a more violent xenophobia awaits the finishing of the World Cup.

Yet without black Zimbabweans it was going to be more strenous for South Africa to be independent. The ANC military wing trained with ZIPRA, ZAPU’s military wing. ANC cadres including Thabo Mbeki’s father Govan Mbeki lived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe where they got full protection. Many ANC military strategies were planned and executed from Zimbabwe, no wonder why South African sabotuers bombed a house in Bulawayo in the early 1990s.

And, the moral indifference by South African authorities is a scandal calling for investigations by the United Nations because South Africa has a fair share of its agreed mandate as far as global justice is concerned.

The injustices I saw on my recent trip to the republic perpetrated against Zimbabweans forced out of their country by their black political dispensation is an indictment to liberation ideologies such as African nationalism and black consciousness.

It would soon be successfully argued by academics that independent Africa has done more harm to blacks than colonialism itself.

There is no doubt that the scattering of Zimbabweans around the world is rooted in Robert Mugabe’s violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights. He has through his vampiric policies denied Zimbabweans the right to have rights, hence Zimbabweans are now a laughing stock in South Africa, yet so perfectly educated.

While estimates say almost 4 million Zimbabweans are in South Africa running away from President Mugabe’s corrosive regime, what I saw in my two months stay in that country was very traumatising and will definitely leave an indelible mark in my memory. There is no civilisation there, in terms of respect of human dignity.

I saw Zimbabweans in wheel chairs and, including the blind begging for food and money in Johannesburg’s busy and dangerous roads. Most of these humble beggars predominantly speak in Shona, President Mugabe’s language. They try to speak to motorists in Zulu but with a heavy Shona accent in an attempt to conceal their identity which could give them away to ruthless South Africa authorities there. While Zimbabweans are very good English Language speakers, this does not help, as South Africans hate speaking in English, they prefer Afrikaners. A black person who speaks in English is easily picked up for a foreigner, which becomes detrimental for your security. However, those who speak fluent Ndebele are easily mistaken for Zulus as the two languages are so close. This allows Ndebeles from Zimbabwe to easily sink into the South African society, but all the same without proper identity papers which is a setback.

For starters, Zimbabwean Ndebeles are pure Zulus by origin. They migrated under the stewardship of their nation building king Mzilikazi and settled in southern Zimbabwe. I can authoritatively say modern Ndebeles have a 100 percent Zulu DNA, yet very few South Africans, if ever there is any, knows that. Maybe that was the principle of apartheid – to produce an entire ignorant society.

In Northgate intersection I saw Zimbabwean women with small babies strapped in their backs begging for money. To confirm the beggars’s nationality, each time I stopped my car on traffic lights they would approach me in broken Zulu and I would gain their respect by addressing them in Shona.

In Fourways traffic lights I saw the disabled in wheel chairs with a bin bag presumable collecting rubbish from motorist for a token of one Rand or two Rands.

In Rosenbank traffic intersection, I spoke to a qualified Zimbabwean teacher who has swapped the noble profession for a taxi tout. His job is to tout for passengers and the former teacher has become a kind of a wild animal in view of the violent the South Africa taxi business is. It is the most violent industry in the country – its dog-eat-dog.

The teacher whose identity cannot be revealed trained at the United College of Education in Bulawayo, a college known, at some stage to be producing a cream of teachers. He has taught in Mbembeswana and Lukona for many years, but when the country’s economy went bust it meant that teachers would at some stage go without pay, moreover the teachers’ pay was overwhelmed by inflation. He then skipped the body into neighbouring South Africa hoping to jump-start his life again.

For him, South Africa turned out to be a violent and an unwelcoming environment leaving him with no choice but to join the ranks of taxi touts. The Zimbabwean teacher now leaves in one of Johannesburg’s slums, he hardly bath, as by meeting him one is quickly greeted by an arm-pit smell which reveals lack of bath.

His skin has thickened with layers of dead cells a combination factor of lack of bath and exposure from the sun light. His eyes look red and dangerous, yet this is a teacher.

At Club Royal, Johannesburg’s hottest brothel, I saw Zimbabwean prostitutes who spoke to me in Shona after they overheard me talking to a close Shona friend on my mobile. “Nditengere doro” the woman said in Shona meaning “buy me beer”.

I responded positively and bought three of them some beers with the hope of gaining their trust as a means of understanding what they are up to – the Shona women, just like fellow strippers were in their pants, breasts uncovered, marketing their bodies in a busy strip club. There are prostitutes from China, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia – all gathered here to make money during the World Cup.

I was in the company of a close journalist-friend who works for an influential South African newspaper. I later found out that there were scores of other Zimbabwean prostitutes who have made Club Royal their home. They earn a living by marketing their bodies and each day, one of them told me, she beds more than 13 different men, charging them between one hundred to three hundred Rands per sexual encounter, implying she makes a minimum of 1000 Rands per day. These women have lost their dignity, not because they want to, but because of Mr Mugabe’s chaotic socio-economic policies which included a bloody land reform programme resulting in the collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy.

There has never been a time in our troubled history when Zimbabweans have undergone such a traumatic experiences which include being subjected to the most humiliating experiences like what I have seen in South Africa. Zimbabwe needs a truth commission because we need to heal the wounds, if we dont, those wounds would fester and become more poisonous and could lead to destabilisation of the entire African continent.

On one side, and as a result of Mugabe’s policies, South Africans now hate Zimbabweans with a passion. They think Zimbabweans authored their own misery, but Zimbabweans have clearly outvoted Mugabe. In a perfect world, Morgan Tsvangirai would be President of Zimbabwe today. They don’t like Zimbabweans because Zimbabweans are all over the show in their country taking minimal and, including high skilled jobs. Virtually, Zimbabweans are found in all major cities of South Africa. In Johannesburg and Cape Town, Zimbabweans are found in slums better known here as emkhukhwini.

South Africans have a habit of name-calling Zimbabweans as Kwerekwere a term equivalent to Kaffir or nigger. I wonder how black South Africans would respond if their whites call them Kaffirs again as they were earlier called. I am sure Cosatu and other South African civil societies would protest in the streets, but since Zimbabweans have no such rights, they just keep silent.

As an academic but retired journalist myself, I wish to argue that, with all this resulting from Mugabe’s policies, his crimes can be that of macroeconomic and socio-political policies he pursued resulting in the deliberate, massive violation of internationally recognised economic, social and cultural rights of Zimbabwean citizens.

These violations are identifiable and quantifiable in terms of avoidable deaths and illness and overall a significant decline in the quality of life for the whole country with their harshest effects evident among the Zimbabweans I saw begging in South Africa’s dangerous roads including those forced into prostitution.

However, to be noted here, is that these violations amount to serious crimes under the international law that could be pressed on Mugabe as a charge of social genocide.

Source: Zimdiaspora

SOUTH AFRICA: Michael Uredi, "My wife was raped because I gave my opinion to a newspaper"

CAPE TOWN, 4 May 2010 (IRIN) - Michael Uredi, 37, a cabinet maker, came to South Africa from the Eastern Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) eight years ago. He is a member of the Bembe ethnic group, married to a woman from the Banyamulenge, so he is not welcome at home and his wife was raped by his "own people" before they fled. This is his story.

"I started my own business in Du Noon [a township near Cape Town] and I had a lot of customers. One day before the [2008] xenophobia [started in Johannesburg], I gave the taxi driver R100 [US$13] and he refused to give me my change. When I told him I need my change, he stabbed me in the leg.

"Newspaper reporters came to Du Noon and were reporting about the xenophobia in Johannesburg, and asked for my opinion. I told them we've been living in this situation since we've been here.

"I was stoned by a group of men that day and my wife was raped that night, just because I gave my opinion to a newspaper. I made a report to the police, but they didn't help. We left Du Noon and went to the Killarney Race Track [a safety site].

"My landlord called and said, 'You must come get your stuff.' I don't know if it was a set-up, but while I was packing our things, six men came into the house. People outside were shouting things about 'makwerekwere' [pejorative term for foreigners]; how we came with nothing and we should leave with nothing.

"But I earned all those things - I worked hard for those things. So those people came and they took everything and broke my workshop. I was stabbed in the back while I was protecting my stuff.

"We stayed at the safety site but they said we should try to go back to Du Noon. So on 8 August we went back - we wanted the kids to be able to go back to school.

"We were there for two nights. They stoned the roof in the night. I got a letter in Xhosa threatening my family. I went to the police but they said there was no evidence that we had been attacked.

"As I was leaving a white policeman said, 'If you feel unsafe, don't wait around', so we went back to the safety site. My eldest son and I went to Joe Slovo [township] to look for a place to rent. We were stoned there. After that we couldn't go back into the community.

"We went to Harmony Park and then to Blue Waters [both safety sites] - we were in Blue Waters for almost a year. We came here [to Blikkiesdorp - 'tin-can town' in Afrikaans - a Temporary Relocation Area about 20km outside Cape Town] just a few weeks ago.

Anywhere, but here

"I just want to leave South Africa. For two years now my kids have been afraid to go to school - I want another country, really. The UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency] guy came once to Blikkiesdorp. He didn't give me any hope.

"It's like dumping something - they forget about you. Last night my wife was being followed when she was walking outside, and a Congolese guy was attacked the other day here. There hasn't been a night that we've slept well - people throw stones at our house.

"It was better to be in Blue Waters than here [Blikkiesdorp]. I had peace of mind, whatever the conditions were - it's better to eat cabbage with peace than meat without peace.

We are not safe here. I'd like to go anywhere I can be safe - Africa, abroad, it doesn't matter. My life is in someone else's hands - I'm not free, my children are not free.

Tales from abroad: Durban

By: Ashley Hill [The Tartan Online - Oct 2009]

When deciding whether or not to study abroad, my decision was simple. I had spoken with many other college graduates that had regretted never having done it, so I figured I would. When deciding where to go, my decision was simple again. There were many options, but I figured, why not go to Africa? It was somewhere I never saw myself going on vacation later in life, and being a black American, I wanted to know what it felt like to be in the place many dreamed about, but would never go to. I entered this situation in a very confident manner, but I was soon confronted with experiences that challenged me more than I ever thought I would be. I was taken out of my comfort zone from the moment I got to South Africa.

Durban reminds me a bit of the cities at home. The beaches are extremely beautiful and like nothing I have ever seen. Going to the beach after class is very popular, so I am about five shades darker from lying in the sun all day. The city center, on the other hand, is extremely congested and reminds me a bit of New York City. The downtown has enormous shops and outside vendors, but, partly because of the sheer volume of people, pickpocketing is extremely common. I have gotten into the habit of not carrying anything when I’m out in the center and putting my money and valuables in a money belt. There are some suburbs that are safe, but I have found that all houses, no matter what neighborhood, tend to have very high gates around them.

I have been taking classes that I thought would benefit me because I hadn’t been able to take them at home, but I never realized how much at home I would actually feel in the South African classroom. In every one of my classes — English, marketing, anthropology, and political science — we discuss the United States. We never stop discussing it, and in some situations it is all we discuss. The United States is looked at as a model and pioneer in many fields, and students here at the University of KwaZulu-Natal tend to be taught the “right,” or American, way of doing something and how South Africa fits into that picture. It has actually left me in some slightly uncomfortable situations where I am called upon to speak for a nation of 350 million people, when in some cases my own opinions aren’t even firm.

The best part of my experience here has been getting to know the people. I love just talking to the students. I go to school with people from all over the world, and somehow, 21-year-old college students always have something in common, no matter where they are from. I have learned the most from students my own age. They have been more willing to provide me with full disclosure about their lives because they are less traditional than their parents and are willing to share the good and bad about their culture that others may try to hide.

I have, unfortunately, found out why South Africa, for many, has simply been known for violence and AIDS, and is now known for xenophobia as well. Somehow, in this past week, everyone has been rioting and protesting against something. I have learned that some people have a lot of resentment toward the United States, despite the fact that it is idolized, and I have, unfortunately, been a target of some of these angry feelings.

Many here in Durban watch America on television. They see Beyoncé and Laguna Beach and think that every city is like California and that Americans have more money than can be imagined and live in gorgeous condos. I have had to try to show people a more whole picture of what our country is like, that it has gated communities and ghettos, and even though the dollar is expensive, not everyone has very many to spend. I have learned that rationality is relative, and it has been a struggle to separate myself from the situations I have been put into and to try and look at them objectively.

It seems that in every class, the topic of AIDS comes up in some way or another, and even though it is a large problem here, a lot of the students don’t seem to view it as such. When I asked some of my friends in the dorm if they get tested, they said no and shook their heads as if to say, “Would I ever do that?” I explained that at my home, friends will sometimes go to get tested together, not necessarily because they’re afraid, but just for good measure.

I have been here for a little more than three months, and my trip is almost over. So even though many of my friends have just started their experience, I am reflecting on mine as though it has ended. I have very mixed feelings about experiences in Durban. Don’t get me wrong — I would not rather have gone to Australia, or Italy, or France, but that doesn’t mean that it’s been all good. I have been welcomed with open arms by some people and rioted against by others. I have had the time of my life one week and feared for my life when walking down the street in the next. Being in Durban has opened my eyes to a nation, although famous, that I didn’t know much about. All I knew about South Africa before coming here was apartheid and AIDS. But since being here, I have been able to truly see the toll these issues have taken on the people. As much as we all may look the same, we live in two completely different worlds. It’s been a difficult experience, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

The tragedy of being an African living in Africa!

Mukwepa:

Let our brothers recall the history of their country, which every 15 years old girl and boy knows and remembers. The neighbors have been there during all those years of struggle against apartheid. Our villages, towns and bridges have been destroyed in the past because we (the neighbors) truly and courageously helped, hosted our brothers, South Africans. But today, they?ve turned their backs and forgot all we (neighbors) did for them. Today, they are killing us because we are knocking their doors asking for food. Let God be the judge between South Africans and those killed and suffering. What is taking place right now is an anti-historical and ?non grata? attitude from our brothers. Let them be ashamed and remember, ?What goes around, comes around.?

May 23rd, 2008 at 7:27 am

Rista:

Ndesanjo, I don?t know how South Africans will ever be able to hold their heads up again on this continent. The saddest part is that even among the so-called educated, there are those rejoicing and imagining that this means more opportunities for them. Africans MUST be taught that destabilizing actions DO NOT create more opportunities, they simply cause capital flight. But I suppose, like in Kenya, many feel that it?s better if we?re all poor.

May 23rd, 2008 at 17:44 pm

Phuthela:

I think the attacks are largely driven by gross misconceptions about people from other African countries - perhaps the media plays a role in this regard. Most South Africans are not aware of the beauty and richness of this continent and its untold history. I mean, the only thing that you hear about regarding other African countries is usually about war, famine and just about every bad thing you can think of. It?s just so silly that we?ve become so divided based on superficial borders imposed by colonialism whereas when reflecting on history - the one most of us are not aware of - you find that we share a common ancestry, of course not just biologically but culturally. I?m South African and really, I AM ASHAMED about what?s happening and also frustrated because the actions of a couple of individuals does not represent who I am as an individual. My apologies go out to all my brothers and sisters of the continent and hope that we can learn from this and overcome these turbulent times.

May 26th, 2008 at 13:47 pm

inajame:

the south africans should realy be ashamed of themselves,we the neighbours stood by them during the apartheid era,they fled into our countries and we also prayed for south africa to be an apartheid free era and now they are treating us like dogs,beating and killing us which is really inhumane

May 27th, 2008 at 15:29 pm

Mark:

I don?t believe they are ready Bomseh. I want to say WE are not ready, being a South African myself, but I fail to identify with this country anymore and would rather distance myself from it.

Rista mentioned flight, which is the route I am taking. Like many of my countrymen, I am waiting for my permanent residence visa from the Australian DIAC and will be heading for the civilised world.

It?s such a pity that the promise of the rainbow nation has not come to fruition. Is 'Ubuntu' just a myth?______________________________________________________

Foreigners speak out

Global justice must intervene to Protect suffering Zimbabweans

SOUTH AFRICA: Michael Uredi, "My wife was raped because I gave my opinion to a newspaper"

Tales from abroad: Durban

'Foreigner' could teach many of us

Posted by Lolis Elie July 10, 2008 11:02PM