Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Heads of Mission accredited to South Africa are concerned at the escalating xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in that country.
The Ambassadors and High commissioners met Wednesday to discuss the problem and resolved to ask the South African government to find a permanent solution to the crisis.
Zambia's High Commissioner to South Africa, Leslie Mbula, who chaired the meeting, expressed solidarity with victims of the latest attacks.
High Commissioner Mbula also challenged South Africans to accommodate nationals from other countries in the region.
He said people in the SADC region shared a common history, culture and destiny.
Mr. Mbula however, thanked the South African
government for the tireless efforts being made in assisting the victims of the violence.
This is according a press statement by Second Secretary for Press at the Zambian Embassy in South Africa, Philip Chirwa.
[ZNBC]
It is really sad that our own brothers have turned against us. We could not enjoy our wealth and peace when they were under the appathaid because there problems were our problem. We housed many there politicians and helped them fight the appathaid government so that they should be were they are. Today our own brothers have turned against us.
Why are they worried about what’s happening in South Africa? Isn’t this rather hypocritical? They didn’t think what was happening in Zimbabwe after the elections was a crisis just a month ago! Why are the lives being lost in South Africa more precious than those being lost in Zimbabwe? Is sit because they now directly involve their own nationals? Against all logic, Mr. Mbeki declared to the world that there was no crisis in Zimbabwe. Going by his same line of reasoning, he and the SADC leaders should now tell the world that the xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in his own country do not constitute a crisis.
The world clearly remembers how the winning opposition in Zimbabwe begged Mr. Mbeki and the SADC leaders: “Don’t wait for dead bodies on the streets of Harare” before you intervene! They didn’t listen.Tendai Biti, MDC secretary-general, said at that time that there was “a deafening silence by our brothers and sisters in the region, in the African Union. We [Africa] responded poorly in Rwanda and a million people were killed (in the 1994 genocide),” Biti said.
Cont’d. We all recall how Zambia’s president Levy Mwanawasa’s lone voice of reason was laughed off by his fellow SADC leaders! Some of them were even willing to off-load the Zimbabwe-destined weapons off the Chinese ship that no doubt were going to be used to kill Mr. Mugabe’s own people! This strange behaviour of African leaders banding together to prolong and protect their continued stay in office is becoming rampant and indeed a source of concern to all who espouse democratic principles of governance!
Your therefore agree that xenophobia is everywhere and it is not the basis on which countries are awarded FIFA finals. Where I live, my doctor is a Zambian. He has not built a shack where there should be no shack. He is not contributing to crime or disorder on the infrastructure meant for peace loving foreigners and S. Africans alike. Many Zambians even on this blog are that type of people and believe this is the premise from which our ambassador was speaking. I challenged you why you did not condemn operation murambasvina in Zim. As a people Zambians on this blog have shown their divisionist propensity. You even have a guy calling himself janjaweed blindly blaming people for exactly what ja
You even have a guy calling himself janjaweed blindly blaming people for exactly what janjaweed is doing to their darker compatriots including systematic raping of children. SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME ON LUSAKA TIMES.
Well some times you can be killed by your own hands which feeds you, Kaunda (KK no change) kept Mandela and supported him and his people but today they are changing colours! but to a certain extent i feel SAs appreciates zambians for what they did to them during their strungle of independence thats why only a few zambians are affected in these attacks and comments yesterday were zambians in SA are safe. The question is what makes them safe when fellow foreigners are being burnt alive?????
cont ‘d. Coming to this issue i feel it must be dug deep and not just to scratch it on top, lets not forget that SA has two presidents, Jacob zuma and T. Mbeki, one of them is siding with Mugabe and the other saw a crisis in zimbabwe, this is confused leardership which confuses it’s own people, Mbeki is nolonger confident enough to make strong decision for fear of a strong opposition from the other end. How can security forces fail to calm and book the victims of these attacks when they are armed????
cont ‘d. these people have a strong force behind?????
A disoganised family can be seen from the way their children conduct themselves, dress or performance in school and other social activities.
Misisi boys Chawama boys Kuku boys, Chibolya boys, Kanyama boys, Mandevu boys lets start beating up bamwisa as well. We meet this Friday at John lenge Market so that we start preparing. We will start with bamwisa (Foreigners) In Mandevu lets attack Congolse, Rwandans, With Zimbabweans please no mercy lets kill them. South Africans have started and its our turn as Black people we need to kill one another. A white man divided Africa so that we fight. And bcoz we are fools we should fight one another………
What did an Africa person do to deserve these humiliation? Some thing is wrong out there and our political leaders together and African Chiefs and kings need to intervene. How can a fellow black person say that let us kill them. God help us!!!!!
#7 Which Zambians are safe in South Africa and where???? bcoz we are all in fear. These guys are animal when they find you, You are gone. anyways most Zambians dont stay in Shanty compounds and most attacks are happening there. Zambians kabili kupapatela bazungu so they have helped us. Others my friend this guys are not choosing and they dont care!!! weather Zambian or Zimbabwean you are a makwerekwere!!!! to them. Stealing their JOB, WOMEN and LAND
The is no problem in south Africa ..why are the people creating a criss where the is no criss … thats the reason why i have not personally visited the so called affected victims it is just a simple misunderstanding . How can i reduce my self to start handling domestic issues am busy with Zimbabwe….. this is what he said
#12 In response to what number 12 mentioned, i really think and feel he has the point not becoz zambia helped and sustain the South African leaders during their independence struggle NO!!! even if few zambians are affected that does not say South africans go ahead killing foreigners by burning them to death. #10 you have stoped thinking like a human being who is rational but you are thinking and acting like an animal!
therefore, i say to you, you think who you are others think who you! Mbeki said no Crisis in Zimbabwe, you, few Zambians are affected but death is death you lose life you cant fix it
open your eyes and feel for others…..
This is not xenophobia please people. it is Negrophobia!!! South Africans are not attacking all outsiders its only us with Black skin. I was chased today in Mpumalanga. A Mozambican man was shot dead we had to run. Its sad when you travel around the world trying to learn other cultures and learn that some cultures are primitive but they proudly say they worked hard yet it was the white man’s brain which developed whatever they presume they created and that is South Africa. I think the San and Khiokhio should come back!!!!!
You may have a point there #15. Tevo-SA!! For, if it were really xenophobia, the victims would indeed have included Asians, Europeans, Arabs, Latinos, Orientals etc! But somehow, the perpetrators of these heinous acts do not think these other “races” are a threat to their jobs! Mmmmm, interesting!
#16 is from Eagle-One USA, by the way. Point being, is this something in our genes, maybe?
Why does the SADC bother. South Africans are Bantu educated illiterates. Just look at the leadership, the whole govt is full of criminals, you’ve got a president who thinks HIV comes from AIDS and an upcoming president who thinks taking a shower after having unprotected sex with an HIV positive girl will cure/prevent HIV/AIDS. Just shows that we are dealing with people in the stone age era.
Even when you look at the SADC meeting we had on Zimbabwe, who spoke against Zimbabwe, wasn’t it our educated Levy Mwanawasa (though he has his short comings), and who spoke for Zimbabwe, wasn’t it illiterate Bantu educated Thabo Mbeki. Just shows South Africa is what it is because of the whites.
It doest make much sense killing each other.Lets get to the root cause of all this massacre and resolve issues ammicably,after all we are all africans and we need to be united and live as one.I dont understand——-RWANDA,KENYA,ZIMBABWE AND NOW R S A.Awe mwe.
Thabo Mbeki ni galu yo panda muchila.
Tivo-SA you are right. How could we be so blind. This all thing is actually directed at fellow black African people and not other races and thats what makes it so terrible And these people that are busy chasing foreigners away no nothing about history, they are uneducated and definitely savages. To some extent I understand their behavior because how do you expect them to be to be nice to a foreigner when they rape and horribly slaughter babies, girls woman and unbelievably grand mothers…..S.A has a rotten society and people shouldn’t be surprised of the happenings there
Dumisani, do not excuse the shameful acts of your xenophobic SA by shifting the goal posts here.I guess if this blog was running in the 80s, we would have given you the archives of condemnation for Mugabe’s ills in the past.You even go for a guy calling himself “jajaweed” whatever, tackle the issue at hand, typical ANC right.Go the root cause of the problem do not look for similar issues and try to equate them.Anyway, why I’m wasting my time, you probably do’nt even think there is a “CRISIS” , burning pipo, beating up kids, etc, IS NORMAL TO YOU. Go find your equals, you are misfit on this blog.
…funny enough people have always said “white people are racist”, but my fellow black people I have aways said “black people are the biggest racist of all races”….even to their own kind. How realistically pathetic is that!
I think Eagle-One USA (#2-4) has made a very valid point- I agree with you, SADC is being hypocritical. If I may add, SADC has set a dangerous precedent which is: if you are Southern African govt and you use tyrannical methods you are less likely to be criticized than a govt that respects democratic ideals and this encourages dictorships.
# 18. Crazy_Zambian
Exactly what’s your point? Show me Zambia’s works and of art and literature in the international arena (By black People) and compare to SA. Who designed your national anthem by the way. You are literate. Not educated. I sign off.
# 18. Crazy_Zambian
Exactly what’s your point? Show me Zambia’s works of art and literature in the international arena (By black People) and compare to SA. Who designed your national anthem by the way. You are literate. Not educated. I sign off.
Ask a South African who a foreigner is … Nigerian, Zimbabwean, Zambian, etc.Then say even a German, he syas “No …NO, NO” . These are white people. Brothers, This is BANTU EDUCATION.
please leave South Africa alone and its people. is it becoz the country is doing economically fine? is it not beocz you want them to be like our mother Zambia never?! let the south Africans continue chasing foreigners from their country so that they boost their economy well. People are jobless and occupying their place of land why are people so much interested in other people’s business
President Levy said never interfere with others its not your cuntry
aba abantu batutu fye.how can they act like this as pay for their countries ?
twalibasunga bafipe
#25
I have seen your point. I was emotional at the issue, how do you burn people. It is not right and even with what you’re saying, it’s not the right way of doing things. Believe me, no man is an island and if for some reason the SADC region future leaders had to develop a hate for South Africa because of what has happened now, who do you think is going to help you when you have problems in the future. Thats something you should think about.
…is this not the same organisation that believes in quiet diplomacy???…what are they making noises for now??..weeks ago there was no problem in Zims!!!..now the consequences are coming home to roost
The Americans and British Governments have threatened to take action on South African government if the Violence against foreigners escalates. they will put sanctions on the movements of south African Planes and people also cut businesses tires.they strongly believe Mbeki is siding Mugabe and if he does not want to make efforts of resolving the Zim problems. Mbeki has found himself in the political battle of Mugabe and The USA and UK.he will end up fighting the battle he did not start.south African economy will be soon like that so Zimbabwe very soon.. check the statistics the south African economy has not improved for other 10yrs it is just within its average.
I just wanted to add that im sorry for all the insults on this blog.
I was emotional.
Im sorry for swearing.
# 33 that is wishful thinking. That can only happen when white pipo get attacked, Believe me you will see what will happen. The south African economy will come to its knees just like Zim
I am a Zambian in South Africa and I am not going anywhere out of S.A because my parents, me and the Zambian people never chased nor killed any foreigners during their stay in Zambia even though we had our own problems with there being there, but have definitely not dealt with it in such a savagely manner…..mwaba imputi ishi kulu
Lets start legal proceedings against the SA government for bombings and other attrocties commited by SANDF in Zed. In fact the whole region should begin a process of quantifying the cost of helping liberate SA. Our Zed history must document exactly what we did for these guys e.g someone said on this blog that Thabo used a Zambian passport, How many current SA ministers were in Zed, how many went to UNZA or got scholarhips, etc etc. One could write a book – perhaps one should!!! Only thing is that ba swine tabaishiba uku belenga so teti beshibe stumo! The illegal immigrants in SA should seek refuge in libraries. No one will find them there!!!
Bafik@l@
Dumisani must be crazy or reminded that Zambians are very artistic and have authored many work of literature. No Nobel Prizes yet.S/African have a shallow knowledge about every thing. The lack of reforms of Bantu edacation and high urban black poverty, failure by Mbeki’s govt to deliver and the huge gap between the have and have nots are some of the the cause of this trend of xenophobic attacks. Shame to S/Africans
South africa should not become a refuge for people from failed states in Africa. They should remain in their countries and work to improve them. We are not the United states of Africa where every African thinks he has the right to leave in our country. Think of how much it costs the South African economy and people in terms of health and educational facilities to host an extra 5 million in less than 12. This is madness…..they should just leave us alone. I repeat an extra 5million people making extra demands on an already overburdened social infrastructure…..NO NO please.
Sizakele
Mzoxolo
Mzoxolo
To the crazy Zambian and Dumisani, you guyz ought to be ashamed of yourselves people are dying and all you can think of is the size of your balls, come on there are greater things at stake than your emotional cold war. When all is done at judgement day it is what we have become as men than what we have done that will matter, so treat everyday as gift so as to make your last words in this life good. What we should be doing at this time is to pray for the victims as well as the perpetuators of this hate and that they may have a change of heart peace may prevail. We should not forget the supreme being is mindfull of what is happening and soon will administer justice to those evil beings.
#24. just-another-opinion: Amen! Have you noticed how they are trying to trump up charges against Bakili Muluzi next door? It is a disgrace!
Obakeng
South Africa is a Ticking Time Bomb. Appaitheid did not end that long ago. Its sad to even think that the South African Former leader P.W. Botha may soon have his “prophesies” fulfilled… South Africans have alot to lose in this and the world never forgets…Zimbabwe certainly won’t forget. I urge all zambians not to forget. Some one tell me that they agree with me when i say that Zambians are probably the nicest people in Africa, even through their hardships. the more of this i see the more i love my dog. my comments are not intended to hurt anyone, however shame on south africa and every south african should be deeply ashamed…
The relationship between the peoples of Zambia and SA should be measured by the amount of air and land traffic volume in which business and intellectual executives move to and fro. Not by the number of Zambians burnt in shacks where they lived together with mice. This volume of human movement is perhaps the largest among African countries. Consider that only 20 yrs ago there was non of this. I’m glad that it has now been reemphasized that Zambians infact have not suffered the anger of our impoverished compatriots. A community of one African country created that whoredoms in the neiborhoods of Clipdrift and other shack dwellers have. As we condemn the less fortunate S Africans who have taken
As we condemn the less fortunate S Africans who have taken the law into their hands because of non existent immigration policy, let us reflect also from the point of view of residents of these S Africans. And also from the point of view of what we want Africa to be. Even as Africans, we envy the clean streets of Europe. Viva S. Africa and Viva Zambia, the home country of my first born son. # 44 Namesis, you only plant discord!
Iam a Zambian living in the uk. When i heard about the crisis in SA i was very disappointed. After all that Mother Africa has been through to be free from oppression….we are now turning against ourselves!!!! Why on EARTH are we turning against our own people????? We once marched together, fought together, hid in the same get away places….and now we’re killing each other!! It seems to me like the white man didn’t have to oppress africa afterall….it was only a matter of time before we africans did it to ourselves!!
It’s sad becoz…over here we have scientists claiming that black people are not NEARLY as intelligent as white people…that black people could even be considered a waste
of a race!!! Ofcourse, we protest against that….but with the kind of goings on, what foot do we have to stand on????? This is a disgrace.
Imagine all the efforts of our black people for nothing!!! All our fore fathers that fought and died for our freedom….by the hand of the white man, sticking together was not even a question, and now this!!!!!! It’s disheartening!
Highly concerned! you are really right what white people think of us as blacks. for sure in African history, many philosophers the so-called whites insulted African people and postulated that we are uneducated, in african continet there is no technology so forth…
i really agree with you with what is happening in South Africa. why Black people fight another black????? it’s shocking if these white people hear all this information and this reflects that black people are not even nearly as intelligent becoz they are not human beings.
Now u see me,now you dont
Now u see me,now you dont
Now you see me, now you dont
The end of the Africans is here! South Africa was the magic we all fought for and created. We gave power to the beasts, children of chief shaka, now here they come to exact the mission of the white man to annihilate Africa! Yes, to put an end to Pan Africanism, to shame the heroes of africa, to make cheap the life of a black man, to end all economies in africa and generate the great migration of black people into the abyss of hell. Here they come, to give africans a taste of south afican blood, a taste of callousness! Arise Africa! Arise against Shaka’s children before you are decapitated!
Ashamed citizen
…Africans will rise against africans, just like in times of old, chiefs sold their own to preserve territories and power, africans must rise again under south africa to finish what the white man couldn’t even imagine, burn the children, loot their goods, lick their blood, throw them into the Limpopo! All might south africa, how you have fallen! How you have put to shame the auro of Mandela, you have dragged the white tobs of Tutu into faeces, how you have fallen! For a mere pittance silver and soup you have sold your soul. How you have fallen! Africa be ashamed, be ashamed..you created the beast! Why wonder now.
Ashamed citizen
…The spirits of chief Lutuli, Mbabatha and Gumede are turning in the grave! South Africa must create a day of national mourning, recant their ways, seek forgiveness from Africa, lead the way into true reconcilliation. Oh, Africa! In our life time, we have shamed even the living heroes: Kaunda, Mandela, Tutu, Obasanjo…they’ve buried their heads in their wive’s laps! They are in tears! They watch helplessly seeing South African children singing songs of self-praise, war songs against their own ..yes their own kind! Gaddafi is ashamed too! United States of Africa is dead in the children of the South! Cry beloved country! Cry Winnie Mandela! Cry ANC! Mourn, the evil has come among you.
its really sad and disheartening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ooh very touching indeed. Ungrateful south Africa. Just wait for zambia’s economic turn around. soon the government will have 415 million usd from mine taxes. Come june 14.
the situation in SA is sad but u cant blame them, people will feel thretened with a sudden influx of foreigners not everyone will accept them, this happens everywhere.the reaction is kinda expected if u ask me, SA has a violent bitter and disturbing past but didnt expect people to be getting shot and burnt hopefully it doesnt turn into a genocide. they need sum smart people to run the country, if u dont know where aids cums from n u think that taking a shower after unprotected sex will prevent aids then u shud not be in office or running for office. the problem is we have people who r still fighting the struggle from how ever many years ago they just fighting anyone.
we all know were these immigrants will head to , Zambia.
A place were every body is thought of as an invester. i have never seen so many nigerians, congolese and somalis out side SA as in Zambia.
As for the somalis, have you ever seen a somali working ? i have not.
Zambia needs to be tighter on immigrants or we will have our own riots.
Try going to Nigeria and telling them that you are from Zambia. They are a horrible lot. They should be treated in the same way they treat others. Nigeria is a backward state of 144 million backward and criminal people. This criminal lot should be banned from the rest of Southern Africa. But your st***d govt has even given a license to the so called ACCESS bank. I thought you Zambians were smart enough to distinguish btn genuine investors and fraudsters. You will pay dearly for this oversight. These are people who stuff drugs in bodies of killed human babies to traffic drugs.