June
2008
Xenophobia or Racism?
I recently had the displeasure and inconvenience of being robbed by gunpoint in my own house. There were eleven of us in the house, including my parents and my aunt who has suffered from a stroke. Four guys with guns came in, tied us all up, and stole everything we own…
Jeffery Zide, one of my very good friends later pointed out to me that the perpetrators were speaking Shangaan, they were from Mozambique. I had a really strange mix of emotion the following Monday when news of the Xenophobic attacks first hit the airwaves. My first thought, although I am not proud of this, was great, go South Africa, chase them out. This reaction was entirely based on the post dramatic stress I was feeling, but this got me to thinking….
In a world where hunger riots are happening worldwide, the price of fuel is increasing dramatically, aids pandemic is reaching a critical mass and a general loss of value for human life is plentiful, what of the people who are hungry, who cannot afford fuel and are sick.
Here at home we have bread companies ripping the general public off, people not being able to afford to make the trip to work each day, politicians who promote taking a shower after sex with an HIV positive person, crime spiraling out of control at every level and a government setting up base camps and handing out flyer’s to curb the loss of foreigners’ lives.
My question is this, what is the difference between us chasing foreign nationals out of the country and the apartheid government segregating one group of people from the next? Definitions of both are below; I personally do not see much difference.
“Xenophobia is a fear or contempt of that which is foreign or unknown, especially of strangers or foreign people The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from oneself.” wikipedia
Or
“Racism, by its simplest definition, is discrimination based on racial group. People with racist beliefs might hate certain groups of people according to their race, or in the case of institutional racism, certain racial groups may be denied rights or benefits. Racism typically starts with the assumption that there are taxonomic differences between different groups of people. According to the United Nations conventions, there is no distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination.” Wikipedia
With so much media surrounding Apartheid and what an atrocity it was, does the average South African not remember how countries like Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique helped with “the struggle”. How they mobilised troops and set up training camps and housed heroes such as Joe Slovo. Do they not understand that what they are doing is exactly the same and even worse than apartheid was?
I was not personally alive during apartheid, I did have the honour of being part of the integration process, one generation outside of Apartheid, liberated we could feel the change happening for the better, only to vote in a government not able to deal adequately with the challenges they would face, rife with corruption. If crime rate is to improve in this country, it has to begin from the top down; it’s just a new “struggle”!
My point is this, why after coming through one of the greatest triumphs in human rights turn around and do to others what was done to you?
What exactly were we fighting for?
Can Can you tell which of these photos Apartheid is and which is Xenophobia?
I am afraid that you are correct - AND - with the preoccupation with Race in every part of South African life we are not going to move on.
Hey Chap, Sorry about the incident. Not cool. There has naturally been alot of debate on the topic of Xenophobia, and I’ve joined in a forum on mynews. See the link:
http://mynewsblogs.24.com/ViewComments.aspx?mid=bd31d3b4-93ab-4f31-8843-7772d3e0a714&blogid=8c5ffe29-80d7-4425-9014-2e12441c6c52
This is just one of many heated debates we’ve been involved in.
Hey Vaughn, I think that you looking at the whole situation in the wrong light.
While I don’t agree with the violence surrounding the Xenophobia issue, I think that your view point is from a “we as South Africans were victims, and were helped by neighboring countries, now we owe it to these people to stay in our country”. (Sorry if I’m not reading you right)
This view in my mind is wrong, yes we as South Africans had our problems in the past but, we sorted most of it out with the help of some neighboring countries and its time to move on and stop harping on the past.
This is not to say that we must turn our backs on the people that helped us during the struggle.
I think that the view we should have on this issue is by setting the example, not in open borders and a general “free for all”, but by fighting the countries such as Zimbabwe, to allow the Zimbabwean people the same freedoms that we as South Africans enjoy, so they can live in their own countries without the oppression which now befalls them.
Allowing them to stay is just, taking away from our freedoms.
We already are a poverty stricken country and we need to look after our own homeless, sick and hungry.
Lets change the way we think lets not be “South African victims”, lets be Africans fighting for the freedoms of other Africans.
Wesley, I don’t think you are reading me right…
My point of view is not coming from a “we as South Africans were victims, and were helped by neighboring countries, now we owe it to these people to stay in our country” at all…
I was merely making a comparison between the past and now and pointing out the similarities, I do agree with you as far as South Africans needing to stop harping on the past! I often cringe at the sound of the word ‘apartheid’ because it is often used as an excuse for lack of change!
I am by no means suggesting opening our borders for a free for all, this could have been avoided if our borders were controlled better,if our home affairs were managed better,if our country were managed better…
Many people sitting in our cabinet were comrades with Bob Mugabe during those times, these relationships run deep and to date show no signs of letting up. If we are to set this example you speak of, South Africa and the presidency would need to set the example! (I think this is an entire separate post as the people coming across our borders are doing so for both political and economic reasons,sure Zimbabweans are oppressed currently,not so much Mozambique?)
South Africa has been through a tremendous change in the past twenty years, this should be celebrated! My point was,why after coming through one of the greatest triumphs in human rights turn around and do to others what was done to you?
Maybe it’s through the fear of having that hard earned freedom taken away?
Many of these problems are as a direct result of our Government, the underlying issue is mismanagement! The example we are setting, is not a very good one…
Thank you for your comments Wesley.
I have two questions to raise on this whole thing termed “Xenophobia”!
Where does it stop?
I am a white South African male that was born in this country, although I am European by blood.
So am I a foreigner?
Technical, I am, since through my “ancestors”, I was never “meant” to be here. I am “meant” to be living on some exotic island in the Mediterranean (I wish!!). I feel it is only a matter of time before things start turning to a total extreme and all people of European decent will be regarded as foreigners and attacked. For that matter, all people not of African descent would be regarded as foreigners and attacked.
Take for instance the term “mlungu” which I’ve been called several times by black South Africans. I never thought anything of it, I assumed it meant “White Person”, but to my dismay, I learnt that it is actually a derogatory Zulu term that doubles for “the dirty white foam that blows onto the beach from the sea”. Black Africans openly use this term, and the point I’m trying to make here is that people not of African descent are already considered “foreign” in a sense.
So we currently have; Africans not from this country being terrorised, how long is it going to take before the next group of “foreigners” get targeted?
Vaughn, I agree with you on this one. This whole idea of “Xenophobia” is a load of crap. It is blatant racism and just an excuse to kill people and terrorise them, but for some reason, there is justification for it.
Poverty? This leads me to my second question.
Why is the government putting up camps to house “foreigners”
About 1 km from my house, the government has set up tents to house 1 180 displaced people, providing them with food, shelter, sanitation and electricity. Why the hell must tax paying South Africans foot the bill for this? If the people that go there are not legally allowed to be in this country, DEPORT them. I can’t just go to America and then say I was driven out of my home so please provide me with everything I need to live. If poverty is the reason for all this mindless violence, then provide for the people that are here legally, don’t provide for people that shouldn’t be here.
My other gripe with this is that these shelters were not even discussed with the people that rightfully live in the area. The shelters were put up yesterday, this morning; my neighbours had their gate motor stolen, after not one criminal incident in the area for nearly a year and a half. Coincidence, hmm I wonder?
Since I was one the people present and incovenienced by the disgraceful situation, and mulitple other incidences of similar crime, it has taken me some time to settle down and comment on this article.
It is said that the white mans biggest downfall was this word that too makes me cringe: apartheid. An old and tired excuse used far too often.
Heres my view on the BIGGER picture:
I have the pleasure of networking among some very educated and insightful black men, and the following comments have been made: ‘In the bigger picture, the whites were taken out of government because they were not willingly to be puppets to International powers.’
This opportunity of ‘power’ was given to the underpriviledged, and pardon me, but also the uneducated, this comes down to one thing: money.
However, the system now changes. We have no power or position in our country sorry to say, its all about economics and China owns us, a strategic move needs to be made for their entry. By us destroying our country and our surrounding ones, the value gets totally depleted and the land wide open for the Chinese population to spill over into our land and take control, they have it already.
All this other stuff is simply smoke screens. When enough anger,resentment and pure hatred sets in we are eaten away like cancer and sold over for nothing.
Those of you in SA, you are in the safest and best place for now. Everyone wants a piece of our resources, be it North Africa or South Africa. Sadly, chivalry in this department is dead. Theyd rather make us feel useless and small
so we would rather give our country away in shame with a planned plea for help from international powers then be proud of what it is, as we should be.
The africans are angry, in 14 years things have not gotten better, but only worse. The fight for survival is harder, and it spills over into the suburbs.. crime, and the suburbians get angry etc. If the white mans biggest downfall was apartheid, then this is the black mans biggest downfall: xenophobia. Enter the man with the small feet.
So in ending, the situation in Zim ought not to make anyone wonder why no one in the world is doing anything, its exactly what is wanted to degrade and dimish our amazing nation.
Sadly there is no place for good, always hidden agendas. This is my reality.
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!