In the letter dated 3rd September 2019, Hon Mwila recalled that Africans across the continent in general and Zambia in particular, provided refuge and solace to their exiled South African brothers and sisters, as they stood shoulder to shoulder with them in very trying circumstances during the Apartheid era.
He recalled that Zambians and other Africans sacrificed their lives to liberate South Africa from the shackles of the Apartheid Regime. _“A significant multitude of Zambians and other Africans paid the ultimate price as their blood inter-mingled in death with the blood of their South African comrades”_.
The PF Secretary General said it was against this background that the Patriotic Front had followed _“with deep concern and great trepidation”_ reports of increasing xenophobic violence by South African nationals on Zambians and other African nationals in South Africa.
Mr Mwila further said that the xenophobic acts were against the spirit of the liberation struggle and the values of a liberated South Africa, adding that xenophobia was against universal African value system of _“Ubuntu”_.
Making reference to the values and legacy of Nelson Mandela, the letter stated that _“xenophobia was diametrically opposed to the values of the Patriarch of the ANC and the founding father of a democratic South Africa”_.
The PF Secretary General also emphasised that although PF and Zambians in general appreciated that the shared historical tragedies of Apartheid did not place Zambians and other Africans above the law in a modern day South Africa, and that while _“their common history with their South Africans counterparts did not compromise the status of RSA citizens in their own country”_, it was very important that _“the basic Human Rights of Zambians and other Africans, and their very humanity need to be protected- no matter how foreign they may be”_.
Hon Mwila concluded his moral call to the ANC by appealing to the oldest liberation movement in Africa to use all means within its influence and power _“to lead the people of Mzansi in the struggle against xenophobia”_.
He signed off expressing confidence that the ANC and the people of South Africa would prevail over xenophobia.
Police have arrested scores of people in South Africa’s commercial capital, Johannesburg, after protesters looted what appeared to be foreign-owned shops and set fire to cars and buildings.
At least 70 people were arrested, the police said in a statement on Monday,in the second outbreak of urban rioting in a week.
Hundreds of people marched in Johannesburg’s Central Business District (CBD) earlier in the day, demanding foreigners leave, according to local news agency News 24.
However,officials dismissed reports that the ongoing attacks were xenophobic.
“Xenophobia is just an excuse that is being used by people to commit criminal acts,” Police Minister Bheki Cele told reporters on Monday afternoon. “It is not xenophobia, but pure criminality.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama reacted strongly to the scenes of violence on Monday.
“Received sickening and depressing news of continued burning and looting of Nigerian shops and premises in #SouthAfrica by mindless criminals with ineffective police protection,” he said on Twitter. “Enough is enough. We will take definitive measures.”
Truck drivers in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) started a nationwide strike on Sunday to protest against the employment of foreign drivers. KZN police said 11 trucks blocked the road to Richards Bay Harbour, one of the deepest natural harbours in Africa.
They told AFP news agency that at least four vehicles had been torched.
At least 20 people had been arrested “in connection with incidents related to protests within the trucking industry”, KZN police said.
Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula, police chief for KZN province, said they had intensified patrols along major routes.
Sipho Zungu, chairman of the All Truck Drivers Foundation, told AFP his group had had “nothing to do with the strike”, but stressed that it was fighting for the employment of South African drivers.
“People of South Africa are hungry, they are sitting at home.. while companies in South Africa are employing foreigners … [because] its cheap labour. We are hungry and angry,” Zungu told AFP.
South Africa’s Road Freight Association told local media in June that more than 200 people have been killed in attacks on foreign truck drivers since March 2018.
If KK was thinking properly at that time we could have been far better. KK spent our money feeding the so called South Africans with the hope of benefiting but what do we get, a knife in our forehead. Zuma was eating 1 egg, half loaf of bread, half chicken, orange juice and milk per day in Zambia. But what do we get……………….I personally blame KK for depending on development from neighbors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Davies should have ended with
“If RSA can’t defend our people, PF has capacity to do so”.
I like when Davies say that about their president, and it is true we have proved political party are very effective.
Take PF conference to jo’berg, you have your knew super man from UPND who is donating mealie meal. He can host PF. Go match there……
Why is everyone trying to look back at what we did for them……why can’t we work hard and build our own economy…i remember Sata asked Zambians in the Botswana to return home and develop the country…..Instead of beggingto be refugees in a place you are not needed and risking your own precious life….and South African economy is not even attractive anymore…i lived in Johannesburg in 1996….it was much better by then….but not anymore….so my brothers in South Africa just pack your bags and head back home
In the USA African Americans hate fellow African immigrants….in the UK black Britons hate African immigrants…very hard to understand…my friend from Senegal was attacked and killed on the train in New Jersey by our fellow so called “African Americans”…they robbed him and stubbed him to death….so its about time we started developing our own countries…and this starts with good leadership
Just go home to Zambia.
How can you be in South Africa it’s not like someone like me who will be British soon.
Go back to Zambia.
Well done South Africans. Butcher them. It’s your country.
I have a PhD
Thanks
BB2014,2016
PHD thru mature entrance, no wonder u boast!
It was hard to come!
What we see in south africa is the ugly results human nature. Man is radically evil and when given opportunity he unleashes the evil in his heart. Amd when that evil is harnessed by circumstances this is what you get. Ignorance, apartheid, poverty and hunger is what has harnessed this evil you see unleashed.
Its the same evil you see in the corruption of the likes of EC, Zuma, etc. Evil is in the heart. It only waits for the opportunity to manifest itself. And the bigger the opportunity the more spectacular the sin. Eg, EL, never dreamt that he would one day be president. But you can still see the evil in the small opportunities he had ie he stole from A WIDOW! Now he has opportunity to steal at a larger scale snd you think he will pass that opportunity? Think again!
The President should ask the friend of Malema Hazaluza Hagain to talk to his friends where he sends his illiterate MPs to go and consult.
What a shame! This is an example of Tribalphobic that some Zambians are experiencing.
I’m glad I had time to live in South Africa in the 90s and I’m not surprised about all these coming. Hey, not sorry to say this but the so called South African brothers are animals. Zambia should’ve learnt a lesson with the way Zimbabwean’s acted after help helping to gain independence. They just started looking at us whilst they still lived in Zambia like we’re complete poor people.
Wow, is it really thug Davies Mwila who has written this letter?, Davis Mwila is on record asking his senior PF people to give priority to PF cadres in everything from land acquisition, managing of lucrative bus stations to jobs. Davis Mwila should have ended this letter with if you do not deal with your south African cadres we will be left with no choice but to send our PF thugs to deal with you, especially as they are good at insulting Kambwili.
KK very naive and silly fellow. Humanism atase! No wonder we are so backward pa Zed!
Dr. Kenneth Kaunda was a Pan-Africanist for you who do not understand what he and other immediate post-colonial African leaders stood for. Kaunda and his contemporary African leaders believed Zambia and other African countries that got independence in the 50s and 60s could not claim to be free as long as other African countries still remained colonised. In Europe, the liberation of the Europeans from Hitler’s rule who planned to reign over the whole of Europe was achieved with the support of the Americans and their European allies, among them the UK and France. European countries like the UK and France were bombed and people killed the way Zambia was bombed and some of its people killed to liberate South Africa and other African countries.
No good deed goes unpunished. That’s the lesson here.
SOMETIMES IT DEPENDS WHERE YOU GO WHO YOU MEET AND WHAT YOU DO GENERALLY ZAMBIANS ARE A DARLING OF THEIR SOUTH AFRICAN COLLEAGUES AS OPPOSED TO OTHER CRIMINAL COMPETING NATIONALS
ITS WHERE YOU GO AND WHAT YOU DO GENERALLY SOUTH AFRICANS RESPECT ZAMBIANS AND TREAT THEM AS COLLEAGUES
As Someone has pointed out, Zimbabweans ill-treated Zambians after Zimbabwe got independence with the help of countries like Zambia. The Zim economy was then doing well and ours was on its knees. We had shortages in the 80s from soap, cooking, sugar to bread and Zimbabweans could not allow Zambians to take more than one of each of these items across the border. But where is Zimbabwe now? There are probably more Zimbabweans in South Africa today than other Africans and there are more Zimbabweans at the receiving end of the xenophobic attacks. Despite what we went through with Zimbabweans, we Zambians are still welcoming to Zimbabweans. That is the Zambian spirit for which we are well known for.
Like their Zim counterparts they come back crawling. Zimbozas thought their honeymoon would last forever….. Siapalelo lelo ni season yanga.
How I wish apartheid was back. I used to enjoy a white man butchering these black like rabid dogs. A white man knew that these rabid dogs were good for nothing. It is a pity that we lost the good ideology of apartheid. Such elements would not have been existing. Botha was a good president who wanted to wipe away these *****s. He had a very good plan for South African. His plan was to eradicate all these *****s. South Africa would have been a better nation by now. He left work in progress in cleansing this nation of these *****s.
Develop your own backward country and stop ranting about other countries. Meet you at one of state-of-the-art hospital
@6.1 Mbangi like black people are the ones who developed those state-of-the-art hospitals or even running them? In fact blacks aren not the ones who have developed that country. Just look at their behavior now. In stead of working to get themselves out of their collective poverty, they are busy attacking fellow poor Africans who are in the poverty struggle like them. Really makes you shake your head.
Don’t be hypocritical Davis! You are actually worse with your tribalism and Economic Apartheid on your fellow citizens in Southern, Western and Northwestern regions!
PF has no moral standing to be able to correct South Africans! Remove the Logs in your own eyes before you talk about sawdust in your fellow hooligans in SA!
Where are the concerted reactions of the SADC leaders? This is where robust, responsible, assertive leadership is needed. We can’t sit idly and let this barbaric scenario encompass the region, let alone continent. Be as it were that there are a myriad of factors, some historical and others simply opportinistic and irrational ones for this state of affairs, a strong ‘biting’ stand is needed by the other African countries.
What is ECL’s stand on this? Where is Munagagwa? In March this year, Lungu simply ‘called on the Church to pray against xenophobic attacks in South Africa’. And in his capacity then, as chair of fimo fimo, Lungu also “disclosed that the SADC Troika organ may convene for a meeting if the situation deteriorates” Feeble responses
You must be hallucinating to think SADC will say anything. Were will the SADC leaders receive medical treatment if they anything bad about SA.
If you not wanted in any place and you have proof the most noble thing to do is to leave that is that. The problem is South Africa are caused by the black African parasites that have mushroomed that Country in the name of doing business but are involved in other activities such as drug selling etc. In addition South Africa with its ever increasing population of black South Africans are desperate in trying to make ends meet, as a result the blame will be on those that are not supposed to be in South Africa
Just leave you guys and leave South Africa for South Africans, it is their Country. Kuba leka chabe. But then South Africans leaving in other Countries should head back to their home
So Africans are the only ones committing crimes? Europeans are not? Asians are not? Middle Easterners are not? Don’t be a joke. In fact the flag on your post shows a foreign country. If that’s where you are leave that place as well. Walk your talk.
A failed state advising another country. Set your own house in order before imparting “wisdom” on others.
100% agreed.
And that is why zambians are so passive… they think thats being peaceful
Kick their soccer team out of African cup nations. That’s means they won’t participate in any game anywhere. I commend Zambia for canceling the up coming soccer games with criminals
Deport all South Africans everywhere in the world. The president Trump is quite about the killings , that’s why I miss president Obama
with these things happening, NELSON MANDELA IS NOT A HERO after all. shame on south Africans.