The Xenophobic Cycle
Are you aware that in the last few months, xenophobic attacks across Africa, especially in South Africa, have increased reaching a volatile boiling point ?
What seemed to have reduced over the years was only festering, or perhaps not gaining the required attention it needed, because sporadic incidents have grown into a diplomatic whiplash that has entangled several nations across Africa.
Major xenophobic activities are currently ongoing in South Africa, as a renewed wave of immigrant ill-sentiment has escalated into structured violence and organized “political activism”.
Which I think is the result of a myopic reality and misplaced priorities, fueled by a lack of desire to address the root causes of the reoccurring issues that the country faces e.g. unemployment, drug abuse, homelessness and poverty which citizens claim are related to the “foreigner population”
In the month of April and the early days in May, “March and March” demonstrations and protests were held in major cities like Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria with large crowds demanding the eviction of foreign nationals. Certain groups such as the “concerned citizens and voters of SA", have been carrying out unsupervised and improvised “control operations” patrolling the streets with sticks, weapons to determine identification and documents from “strange foreigners”. There was a video that circulated on social media showing a couple of men assaulting a Ghanaian man, asking him to leave the country with slaps, beatings and slur, while two Nigerians have been reportedly murdered in an incident that allegedly involved a security personnel.
For many Nigerians, Ghanaians and citizens of other countries living in South Africa, the daily struggle for safety and freedom is heartbreaking. Men, women and child are living each day, not knowing if they would step out and return home sane, not knowing whether their properties will be burnt down, their businesses looted, they themselves harassed, unlawfully detained and demeaned because they are not “South Africans”.
The acclaimed reason for this hostility is an extreme anxiety caused by the economic state of the country, which from research shows is at its highest peak since 2003 with a whopping 42% of the South African public supporting the “no immigrant” policy. This is largely fueled by a perception of economic inequality and competition (in dumber words, “the foreigners”, by foreigners they mean other Africans are gaining more than we are, they have homes while we don’t, they are getting “all the jobs, and are the reason for the 30% employment decline across the country, they are doing better than we seem to be) and high crime rates.
Unlike other waves of the cycle of Xenophobia, where nations are silent and seem to see the cycle as an inevitable evil, this one has targeted nations and other counterparts within the continent calling out the unruly aggressive pattern. The Ghanaian government has officially petitioned the African Union (AU) by summoning the South African envoy for questioning, they called for an urgent debate against the “Xenophobic attacks in South Africa”, this is expected to be a limelight discussion at the AU meeting to be held in June. Nigeria’s National Assembly has strongly condemned the attacks, while warning citizens to proceed with “caution”, its lawmakers have even suggested revisiting bilateral relations which could include the temporary suspension of business permit for South African companies with investments in Nigeria. While Kenya’s high commission in Pretoria issued a security advisory to all Kenyans living in said country.
On the defense, the South African government led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, have condemned the violence and cautioned against the videos circulating on the internet calling some “fake” and others “divisive narratives”. Arguing that they are committed to the protection of all residents.
We cannot continue to ignore, excuse and condone a reality where instead of cohabiting peacefully we allow a deep-seated sense of hatred, anger, inferiority be expressed through acts of violence, division and cruelty.
It cannot be overemphasized, our continent cannot stand tall in the grand scheme of things if its people do not stand together.