Xenophobia in South Africa is institutionalised

South African police officers casually stroll away from a crowd looting a foreigner's shop.

Let us face it. Xenophobia in South Africa is institutionalised. It may not be codified in law like apartheid was, but many South African public institutions are permeated with xenophobic sentiment.

I saw it on the front page of the Sunday Times today. All the arrests that have been made in connection with recent violence are for the deaths of South Africans. No one has been arrested for the death of a foreigner.

In Soweto two men were rescued from a mob by the police. They had already been doused in petrol, and the matches were about be lit. The police moved in very quickly rescuing them. They were South Africans. If they had been foreigners the police would probably have waited the extra minute or two needed for the flames to take hold before moving in just to be seen to be doing something.

In Durban there were reports of a Malawian being turned away from a hospital because 'there were not enough medicines for foreigners'. At some home affairs offices and border points, foreigners are made to wait inordinately long periods for service.

It is common knowledge among foreigners that if you to report a crime the police won't even bother to open a case. It happened to me once. Officials routinely refuse to speak in English and try insist that black foreigners speak one of the local vernacular languages.

Perhaps the best evidence it is institutionalised, is how xenophobic sentiments creep into the discourse and language of senior politicians. A cabinet minister Lindiwe Zulu was recently accused of making xenophobic statements. The statements that are widely believed to have sparked the latest round of violence, were made by Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini with a cabinet minister standing by his side.

South African officials have been hesitant to condemn pure thuggery and murder of foreign nationals. They seem almost at pains to offer context and justify the 'anger' of South Africans. KwaZulu-Natal premier Mchunu even accused foreigners of 'lacking respect'.

African governments have no choice but put pressure on the South African government to tackle the institutionalisation of xenophobia. Explanations will have to be asked for on why there is no progress on the investigating the killing of foreigners. Accountability will have to be demanded. Police officers will have to be disciplined including senior police officers.

As long as the cauldron of institutionalised xenophobia is not quenched cold, the problem will continue to simmer. It is a serious threat to the stability of South Africa itself, because the xenophobia is tinged with tribalism.

A friend living near Sun City in Rustenburg told me that they wanted to protest because the mines in the area were employing people from Limpopo and Eastern cape while Tswanas from the area did not have jobs. However they did not want to be seen as acting together with Zulus who they still don't like because of Third Force killings in which rogue apartheid agents armed Zulu men living in hostels to attack ANC supporters.

We do not want an unstable giant among us.

In 2008 Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamauve was torched in full view of the police and on camera. Not a single person has been tracked down and arrested.

Yesterday Emmanuel Sithole was hit with a wrench then stabbed in broad daylight. The scene was captured on camera in minute detail. They say he is a Mozambican but Sithole is a Tsonga (Shangani) surname. Recently an MP belonging to the EFF, made derogatory remarks against the Shangani in parliament. In case you didn't know there is a tribalist dimension to xenophobia as well.

The Shangani live across borders, in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Indeed Ndabaningi Sithole was a founder of what is now Zanu-PF. The same applies to the Venda whose language and culture is closer to what is now called Shona. Deeper inside South Africa members of these tribes are often attacked for being foreigners. Many South Africans are often accused of being foreigners simply for being dark in complexion. Members of these tribes are generally dark in complexion.

I won't even mention Indians. During the recent violence in Durban an Indian journalist was told to go back to India despite her being a fourth generation South African. Those mobs cannot tell the difference between a Indian and a Pakistani. Even for black people they often make the judgement based on darkness of complexion. They do not ask to see identification documents. Remember in 2008 half the people who died were South Africans accused of being foreigners.

How foreigners liberated South Africa

I would like to ask the Zulu king, does he know what Alfonso Dlakama's values and principles are. If he does not he is not alone. Nobody else does.

RENAMO

Yet Dlakama is a looming figure in Mozambican history. He was a huge factor in conflict that almost brought Mozambique to its knees. Dlakama is like a tokoloshe that was set upon the Mozambican people. The reason being they dared support the liberation of South Africa. His only source of strength, was the support he got from the apartheid regime led by PW Botha. They supplied him with the best arms, sometimes helped him with secret commandos.

He wreaked havoc. Mozambican lives were lost. Infrastructure was destroyed, roads and railways planted with land-mines. Zimbabwe was sucked into the conflict too. It had to send its army to help Mozambique survive the onslaught by this surrogate of the apartheid regime. In retaliation Matsangaise (as RENAMO rebels were called in Zimbabwe) began hit and run raids into Zimbabwe, killing and maiming many people along the long border with Mozambique.

It was Zimbabwe's army that broke Renamo's back at Casa Banana and in Gorongosa, showing the apartheid regime that efforts to defend itself through surrogates would not work.

Samora Machel death

Mozambique's commitment to South Africans liberation was so unselfish and so un-shirking that Mozambique's first president, Samora Moises Machel died on South African soil. The theory believed by some is that his plane was diverted by a false beacon set up by agents of the apartheid regime. Instead of approaching Maputo the plane followed a beacon into the hills of Nkomati where it crashed. Some claims say Machel survived but was finished off by South African agents.

Why did this happen to Machel? Because he was an unwavering and committed supporter of South Africa's liberation. A policy he pursued at great cost to his own country, and people. That is what African brotherhood is about.

In 2008 Ernesto Nhamauve perished. Like many Africans delighted at the liberation of South Africa he had moved there, thinking he was going to live among brothers. Alas! He was mistaken. He died at the hands of the very people his native country suffered so much to liberate. He died a painful tortured death. He was necklaced. Burnt alive. An image of him on his hands and knees engulfed in flames still haunts the memories of many.

He was necklaced in a street full of people. Journalists' cameras were busy clicking away at the spectacle of his death. The police were there. An image of one of them using an industrial fire extinguisher, belatedly smothering the flames that took his life, also haunts many memories. The people who necklaced him were photographed. Many bystanders from the area were also photographed. To any competent police force, there were hundreds of leads that could have led to the arrest of his killers.

To this day, seven long years later, not single person has been brought to trial for his murder. This day, Ernesto's people, and other Africans, are again targets of the very same people they suffered so much to help liberate.

When you listen South African leaders speak, they sound like they are more worried about apologising to South Africans for the presence of foreigners than condemning the violence. They often repeat anti-foreigner hearsay, as if trying to offer a context to xenophobia. That is if they admit xenophobia is taking place right now. In most cases they offer the hollow excuse of it being 'only a few criminal elements'.

Assassinations and bombings

When ANC offices and safe-houses in Harare were infiltrated and bombed by PW Botha's agents on 19 May 1986, Robert Mugabe was at the scene the very following morning. His declaration of commitment to South Africa's liberation was not laboured, punctuated by excuses or tongue-chewing statements.

"Zimbabwe will not be deterred from rendering assistance to the liberation movement of South Africa", he clearly declared. In Zambia, also attacked on the same day, Kenneth Kaunda immediately promised revenge for the attacks on the ANC.

Contrast that with the doddering response to xenophobia. Zuma has to be cajoled into saying anything at all, let alone show concern by visiting victims.

Yet today, people who are enjoying the fruits of that liberation, chew their tongues when Mozambicans, Zimbabweans and Zambians are attacked for absolutely no reason. They show more sympathy for criminal activity than they show for human rights.

Zambia and Malawi were liberated. Mozambique and Angola were liberated. Then Zimbabwe was liberated. As each of these countries got freedom, they immediately picked up the task of helping the next country. The frontline of liberation slowly marched southward, until only South Africa was left.

Cornered, the apartheid regime thought the best way to halt the steady march of liberation, was to take the battle to those countries that were already liberated. At first they used surrogates like RENAMO and Super Zapu (not Zapu). Then they send in their commandos and army into the places that troubled them the most.

Cuito Cuanavale

The biggest modern military battle ever fought on African soil, was at Cuito Cuanavale. Angola was the main host and trainer of Umkhontho weSizwe and SWAPO fighters. PW Botha had decided to send in his army to deal with the growing problems of MK and SWAPO once and for all.

It was when their army lost the battle of Cuito Cuanavale in Angola, that the apartheid regime came to the realisation that their only way out was to negotiate. If they didn't they would eventually be driven into the sea.

The battle of Cuito Cuanavale was fought in early 1988. The SADF (not SANDF) had gone into Angola to hunt MK and SWAPO. By the time it ended the apartheid regime were already negotiating with SWAPO.

Less than a year later, on 9 December 1988 they transferred Nelson Mandela to low security Victor Verster prison and started secretly negotiating with the ANC. Three years later in 1991, fist raised, Mandela walked out of Victor Verster prison with Winnie by his side. He led South Africa to freedom. That was after Cuito Cuanavale broke apartheid's back.

It was not one or two foreigners who died to liberate South Africa, but thousands. Tens of thousands if we take into the apartheid regime's support for RENAMO. All that suffering by neighbouring countries was a DIRECT result of hosting the ANC and its armed wing Umkhontho weSizwe.

Jacob Zuma he know that. Yet he doesn't tell his son Edward to shut-up when he spews nonsense against foreigners.

ANC leaders seem more worried about apologising to South Africans for the presence of foreigners. Who is going to apologise to the thousands of foreign people who were killed, not for some speculative reasons, but for hosting the ANC and its armed wing the MK.

When ANC operatives were under attack from the apartheid regime - pursued relentlessly by people like Eugene de Kock whom they are now busy protecting, we did not just host them, we fought for them. Where is the ANC fighting for us?

One hand does not wash itself. It was when the two hands of South Africans struggling internally, and the frontline states fighting the apartheid military where they could, washed each other, that the filth of apartheid and racist idiocy was finally washed away from our continent. Now if one hand is cutting off the other one, one day it will be unable to wash itself.

I would like to ask Goodwill, did Samora Machel die so that his people could be necklaced on Johannesburg streets? Were ANC safe-houses bombed killing Zimbabweans so that Zimbabwean toddlers and their mothers could be burnt on Durban streets?

Xenophobia: Economic benefit is not a one way street

If the South African government are not serious about tackling xenophobia then they should not be serious about trading with the rest of Africa.

All the goods being shipped to the Congo mining industries, to the Zambia copper belt. All the South African retail giants pushing northwards, Pick n'Pay, Shoprite, Makro.

All the minerals being shipped from the DRC, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Just drive on the N1 freeway and watch how many convoys of trucks carrying copper you see. Everyday at Beitbridge there is a kilometre long queue of trucks ferrying South African goods to markets up north.

They should stop telling us the bullshit that we are just sucking their economy and busy contributing nothing. The other way is more true. They are busy sucking our resources to build their economy.

The Congolese and Zambians are following their copper here. If you don't want them here then stop going to get their copper. We Zimbabweans are following our platinum here. South African companies are refusing to build refineries up in Zimbabwe despite the well known demands of our president.

Billions of rands worth of goods are shipped to Zimbabwe every day. If you don't want the factories making those goods to employ Zimbabweans then stop the export of the goods.

Before they start chasing foreigners out of townships, South Africans should go to Beit Bridge, Martins Drift, Komatipoort and other borders to block the importation of raw materials and the export of South African goods.

Let South African ministers, kings, sons of presidents and others knock one fact into their heads. There is a reason why the ruling establishment gave them token freedom in 1994. They wanted sanctions removed so that the country could benefit from trade. South Africa is reaping those benefits now. If they want to throw them away for the sake of xenophobia, fine they can go ahead. But they should not say we did not warn them.

If South Africa want to be part of a regional integrated economy then they should know that economic interaction involves goods and people. It is not just a one way street.

The South African government needs to be serious about managing that integration. They should stop being lackadaisical about xenophobia