By Charles Mwewa
In the 1990s I resided in the area in Lusaka, Zambia’s Capital, in the flats (apartment buildings) previously occupied by the leaders of the South African African National Congress (ANC). It is believed that all the giants of South African political struggles, including Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela, and many icons took refuge there at some point. Zambia and other African countries generously helped, sometimes with their own blood, to free South Africa from Apartheid brutality.
Why are we today reading and witnessing a blatant lack of gratitude from the Black South African government of Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa? When President Ramaphosa succeeded Jacob Zuma in 2018, he was hailed as a Saviour. He had vowed to work for the ordinary citizen, root out the country’s corruption and curb the gaping inequality that continue to infuriate millions of South Africans. Now, the president seems to be sanctioning a form of debilitating xenophobia I can only dub, “Alienophobia,” or a deluded fear of, and subsequent termination of Black foreigners in South Africa.
Disgruntled South Africans blame foreigners or “Kwerekweres” for their miseries. They want to violently attack and kill any Kwerekwere who fails to leave South Africa by May 13th, 2019 (the culminating Monday after the elections on May 8th, 2019). Like the White Supremacists in USA, the Alienphobes believe that the foreigners are responsible for their poverty and lack of employment. This cannot be too, too far from the truth. It is a clear disregard and willful blindness to the history of South Africa. And it is not my intention to re-lecture South Africans about their own history. It is, however, important to learn from general African history, in terms of genocides and violence.
We all remember the genocide in Rwanda. The Rwandan genocide by the Hutu majority government between April and July 1994 was a blood-bath, a brutal slaughter of the Tutsis in Rwanda during the 1990s Rwandan Civil War. In that slaughter, within three months, close to one million people were murdered. This was while the world watched. Both the UN and OAU (currently African Union – AU) were flatly impotent. African nations watched, and so did the West. No matter the excuse or justification, the world let the Tutsis down.
We cannot overlook or ignore what is brewing underneath South Africa. Hate is blind to reason. The South African government should not only protect foreigners from the hooligans, but also under international law, the nation has an obligation to do so. Where the South African government fails its duty, the UN should exercise its Responsibility to Protect (R2P) mandate. The regional organizations in Africa as well as the AU should speak out directly and strongly against the pending atrocities of innocent foreigners in South Africa.
President Ramaphosa may easily win the re-election, but at what expense. Mr. Ramaphosa understands better what Nelson Mandela did and stood for. The president should not sacrifice principle for blood. He should stand up for the Black people of Africa resident in South Africa. These are the people who sold him cattle and made him rich. These are the people who sacrificed to liberate South Africa from Apartheid. These are the people who, in future, will still stand up for South Africa. What is happening in South Africa to aliens and foreigners should be condemned by all and should stop.
The Good Book is speaking to South Africa: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners [under Apartheid],” (Leviticus 19:34).
This reflects a wider African Problem.
Civilised nation?
No.
These fools were educated by there fellow African brothers and sisters who today they have turned a blind eye on. Almost half of South Africa’s ANC leaders run to Zambia and other countries and today we have become there enemies. uncivilized people still living 200 years back.
We have a beautiful Zambia if we can just put our resources together….especially Zambians in the Diaspora you have an upper hand…..lets develop Zambia…..no more economic migration from Zambia
Why does this author have to conclude with his so called “good book” he would be surprised what his bible says about slavery!!
South Africans are a lost people. Apartheid implanted seeds of hate so deep that it will take a spiritual emancipation for them to be freed.
I grew up with my parents harbouring two South African freedom fighter at our home for free. Today, their children will burn me alive for just looking for a job in their country. Very sad
There is way too many foreigners in south Africa, something was going to give
Yes it’s an African negros problem because it prevails in our race only. Other races don’t hate themselves. (Check my post below @20) Africans don’t think other Africans can be better than them because Africans have for 500 years been told they are an inferior race.
If another African prospers they can’t believe that someone from an inferior race can be better so they try to bring him down. The black south Africans are identifying blacks from other countries as being more prosperous and to pull them down they are killing them.
It will need a big effort by post colonial African leadership for blacks to emancipate themselves from this mental slavery
The simple solution is to stay away from South Africa, until such a time that the hooligans there get civilized. I would never risk my life living in South Africa at this time. Only Malema speaks out strongly against xenophobia. Ramaphosa virtually stays mute. Stay aware from South Africa for your own safety. There are many other beautiful and peaceful African countries that black people can visit and relocate to. Maybe in the next 20 years South Africa will learn to coexist with their African brothers and sisters from other countries. But as for now, I would wisely stay away, and avoid being a victim of the next xenophobic attack.
Nelson Mandela took refuge in a Flat in Lusaka? This is indeed news to me. But lets also look at the log in our eye and review the resentment we have for thriving Rwandese and Somali refugees residing in our poorer communities. This is no way condoning Ramaphosa’s shocking statement which smacks of cheap politiking and vote buying. When you fail in your governance, you can only point a finger at the many foreigners doing drugs and raping your women. – No different from Donald Trump; or maybe there is some truth in this perception.
Lets just develop our own country and stop complaining about xenophobia….stop hating fellow Zambians….Tongas,Bembas etc we are one……leave South Africa for the illiterate South Africans alone
Cyril Ramaphosa sent a lot of years in Zambia
The president of SA is a moron who doesn’t appreciate the role Africa played in liberating that country.Without SADC,SA would not have been the way it is.Foolish leaders in SA have not educated the coming generation on the values of Ubuntu.It is a pity that we have SADC leaders who are burying their useless heads in sand like proverbial ostriches.
When I hear about these problems in SA, it always remind me of the comments by Guy Scott that “South Africans are very backwards “. I think everybody agrees with this description
Few weeks ago I was disturbed by an educated colleague who claimed this country hates his tribe. I felt so bad that someone educated has such feelings.
You can’t understand if you can’t put yourself in his shoes.
In Zambia today, if you are from Southern, Western or Northwestern you are marginalised even if you meritorious. You will find state institutions or government departments composed entirely of either Northerners or Easterners without shame. They can’t even see anything wrong with that. They are even the loudest to call others tribalists and yet they are the tribalists themselves.
What tribe is this that we hate so much?
The tribes of the Zambezi River from where Zambia gets its name. Lets face it, we are two countries forced to live together.
@4.4 flag Eddy:
It’s the same story all over Africa, a curse from the white man who Partitioned Africa. Millions, across Africa, are slaughtered each year, in the name of nationalism. By comparison, Zambia is a more peaceful country. Elsewhere on the African continent, the situation has been a lot worse. And all because of boundaries which a white man drew from the comfort of his ivory tower in Europe. Time and again, we have seen boundaries across Europe being re-drawn. Indeed, the very face of Europe has changed drastically, within our generation. In Africa, that is a taboo!
@4.4 we aren’t two countries as you put in. African countries consist of numerous nations because Africans never created the borders. If you want you can start splitting so you can form new nations but that will just cause chaos. You must pick up from where you are and go foward
4.4 Eddy is probably not even black or African. These are the type of evil people that don’t want to see Africa develop.
It’s very unfortunate to see derogatory postings about Zambia by Zambians resident in South Africa. Please let’s cherish what we have. Let’s continue to keep Zambia the haven for all. Home is home. Let no politician divide us. We may look down on our country from abroad because our favored person is not in power. But he’s just a person, he’s not Zambia. He will go and Zambia will remain. It’s up to us to keep the peace.
…the mental of South Africans is quite questionable…. Kaonekedwe chabe…hmmm tefintu…..but again we better develop our own country…..as a leader I can be ashamed to see my countrymen being treated like that….it means nabansula ba neighbour….imagine you a father and your kids are being mistreated kuli ba neighbour if they go to play pali ba neighbour with the hope of getting some food……that’s what’s happening…. Kuleni ichalo chenu….and be at peace….
….meanwhile we busy celebrating more South African shops being opened with no shame at all….ala we can also do it. …what we need is confidence within….
Shaa, these people are ingratiates. We all suffered for their freedom and this is the thanks we get. Mr Mbeki spent years in Zambia and I am sure he enjoyed that undisturbed stay here. If they have not realized what they hoped for, it’s not our fault. They should attack Ramaphosa their president who has greatly benefited from the independence by becoming a multi billionaire.
@7Shaa is RIGHT,when there was apartheid,we never dreamt going to S.Africa bcoz we had our own economy that provided employment and fed it’s people.Come 1991 with senseless privatization that collapsed our industries in preference for imports,our people became destitures,migrating to even S.Africa despite its high crime rate!! Successive govts have failed to reindustrialise Zambia in preference for S.African imports.In Kenya S.Africans have failed to hold sway just like in W.Africa but here every compound is dominated by S.African chain stores selling S.African goods,when are we going to create our industries for ourselves and keep our people home!?
8.2 Please don’t ignorant games. Zambians and other surrounding nationals have always gone to South Africa for work even during the colonial days. Times have just changed especially that the black South African has become disillusioned with their independence.
The Good Book is speaking to South Africa: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners [under Apartheid],” (Leviticus 19:34).
[Read 491 times, 491 reads today
There is nothing good about that book…you using it as a moral guide to SA people is no different to those foooools in RSA chasing fellow Africans …both of you lack knowledge of self to cut the story short you are both foooooooools.
Bwafya!
We all share Mr Mwewa’s sentiments here expressed in a gentle appeal to the good side of South African leaders. However the article was not critical enough, I suspect he chooses to live there and must tread softly.
There is no way of dealing with Black South African diplomatically because their history created a damaged persona, and they truly do not have the same strong African identity as other Africans who were free from colonialism at an earlier time than SA Blacks. The biggest problem in SA are the whites who smartly agreed to their inclusion to a small degree. There was a clear agreement that whites supported by the West hold on to economic power as part of freedom. How do you explain the ‘peaceful,’ end to arpathied where the Blacks were mind washed not to go and attack…
Blacks were mind washed not to go and attack whites to avenge themselves? Black SA’s have been brain washed and indoctrinated to look at the problem from a black on black basis, they feel impotent to deal with the whites who held on to economic power. Their Presidents from Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela, to the current Cyril Ramaphosa have all disappointed the Black SA, failing to tackle inequalities and access to economic power. Nelson Mandela divorced his SA wife Winnie to marry a foreigner despite her hard work to uphold his cause when he was in prison. He left them in shanty compounds even Soweto had no running water and toilets. Jacob Zuma, upheld Mining Conglomerates to rob them and maltreat Black SA’s while defrauding them big time. They feel impotent in dealing…
Not forgetting Thabo Mbeki’ ignoring the rise in AIDS among the black population, as smart a leader he was he did not fight enough to let them into economic power. The Black South Africans are asking up to the facts of their independence. The easiest thing to do is attack fellow blacks, take their frustration on them. Other blacks are vying for the same strained resources as they are. COME HOME and grow your own economies!
JUST LEAVE THEIR COUNTRY AND LEAVE YOURS, AND LEAVE THE REST TO GOD. WE HATE KILLING AND VIOLENCE.
This is only a tropical storm. We must brace for a category two hurricane. It’s high time we became responsible enough to start looking after ourselves in our own native countries. South Africans are getting suffocated by this never ending influx of economic refugees.
Is this really a true story or SA media is suppressing the story?I have checked all SA TV and Radio station not there
It’s bad for tourism and big business as these ignorant morons in shanties forget that most of the products they manufacture goes outside RSA to neighbouring countries.
The story is very true. As a black foreigner I’ve been receiving plenty of whatsup messages mainly from Congolese Nigerian and Zimbabwean campaigning for a fightback. I will post one here where the Congolese are saying all south African truck drivers must be killed in DRC
It’s simple, let all south Africans domiciled in other parts of Africa start packing up as well.
I understand in Botswana people are boycotting South African shops and products. If all countries did the same RSA wouldn’t last a month. Stop their trucks from entering our countries and ask all the south Africans in our townships to pack up and go.
… you are going to starve
@NewAge, u really need help, alot of it. There is no such thing in Zambia, it’s just in your mind because everything to u centers on who is in power. People like u are not even Zambian.
Just ban importation of goods from South Africa, they are blood *****s lack of appreciation. How can you kill your fellow African over cleaning and driving jobs shame.
Liar!!! Ramaphosa never leaved in Zambia.
It’s a connection by the author… this problem in South Africa cannot be resolved by merely reminding the Black people of South Africa that their ANC leaders were political asylums in other black African countries like Zambia. These people have no connection or appreciation whatsoever of where Ramaphosa or Thambo Mbeki lived during the Apartheid struggle.
For one thing some of these young people were born after the Apartheid. The older people the only memory they have is that of the brutal Apartheid regime k!lling their friends and family members. A lot of what we see are is a result of internal neglect by their own black government. The older folks have not seen the heaven they were promised after Apartheid. They never had a decent education during that regime and equally they…
….They never had a decent education during that regime and equally they couldn’t educate their children and so many of them can’t have decent employment perhaps for generations to come. The political power resides with a few black S/Africans who are stinking rich but the economical power resides with the minority white S/Africans who are employing educated black people from overseas.
Because of poor education and low IQ, the poor S/Africans think the reason they can’t have decent jobs is because of those black people who have decent jobs. And they can’t attack the white minority and/or the few elite politicians because they are protected by well equipped State police and the military; while individuals have guns to protect themselves.
And their government knows that they have…
….And their government knows that they have failed them but they are happy to see them diverting their anger and venting it on the wrong victims because this perpetuates their political stay in power.
I think @Patriot Abroad above came close to nailing the causes of the problem.
In conclusion the Black South Africans have real resentment and anger but they are just venting their violent frustrations on the wrong people. But they are not sophisticated enough to see the real culprits or they are brainwashed and powerless to attack the real culprits.
Opening statement should read “it’s a simple connection by the author”
Another lie from a armpit smelling Zambi. Check the stats. SA have more than 24 universities and over 80% graduates are SA blacks. Comparing to Zambis, SA blacks are more educated than Zambis. How can you call yourself educated but still import tooth picks from SA. Please go and buy a deodorant from Shoprite and ride escalators made in SA
Why is no one questioning what the chair for SADC troika is doing.This has been going on for a week,with on action from the Great Leader.
There are things that may be taken into consideration before the president can make any statements or make a move. Only Idi Amin used to talk before studying a situation.
SADC countries can stop xenophobia in South Africa by simply hitting SA at the economic belt. Ban all imported goods from South Africa. Close all Shoprites and other South African Businesses.
Ask all SADC nationals to go back to their countries.
South Africa will be begging to start businesses with you.
It is not xenophobia they are suffering from. Had it been that victims would have included alien whites Indians and Chinese. What they have is the hate of fellow blacks. You can only hate fellow blacks because you have low regard for the black race. Black people usually have a low regard for their own race because the white man brainwashed them to only look up to the white race. It’s an imprisonment of the mind. Black people start respecting yourselves
All a countries must ban the importation of SA goods and make them ourselves…we buy their goods and deny our people jobs who then follow the jobs to SA were the goods are made and they are killed……
.
Ramaposa has let me down, I thot he was the one to at least fit into Madiba’s shoes but boy was I wrong. He’s fueling the already Xenophobic S African public to do what they do best . True it runs in the blood
This will severely affect the economy of South Africa. SA exports and imports so many things from other African countries including Zambia, so what if these other countries impose a ban on any trade with South Africa? Their economy will suffer. South Africa was once a Developed country, So I don’t know what has happened to it now.
They should realise.
It has become a sh!the hole
South Africa should be given sanctions and current executive be taken to Hague for not protecting the foreigners
I won’t forget madiba he made a mistake to liberate the barbaric salvages
Yes less than 1000 South African stayed in Zambia during apartheid. but Zambia never ended apartheid. Apartheid was no longer affordable.
South Africans are closing there doors, because of their dullness and laziness. South Africans should mind and bare this in their brainless mind that Zambia and Other countries or Dr David Kenneth Kaunda, rescued poor blood suffering South Africans from colonialism to freedom.
South Africans should not think that they are the most strongest in Africa. But they are the most weakest in Africa.
South Africans failed to overcome colonialism because of powerless and thinking capacity.
Yet the country we helped and made it indipendent , it’s the one killing our people.
South Africans today’s president doesn’t think properly, in short he is not fit to be a leader. Mr. Presidentless do you think South Africans are not living in other countries, more especially in Zambia?
How many…
the best post ever
My submission:
Much as you help your neighbour, they are not obliged to help you back.
This obsession of wanting to strike it rich in foreign lands is what has made Africa to lag behind and be a dumping ground.
Our comparative advantage is still mineral resources which are what makes the west be where it is today.
The biggest problem is the African leaders themselves who are failing to provide quality leadership towards the emancipation of Africa itself. They are very selfish and greedy. All they care about is their wellbeing and not its people.
They have failed to offer solutions for Africa. It’s quite appalling to want to be led by the white man in extracting our own resources which come back in the form of finished goods evidently sold to us at very high market…