Xenophobia: Who Will Rescue Africa from Itself? – By Abdulrazaq O. Hamzat

Posted by admin Abdulrazaq O. hazmat, Articles, Columnists, NNP Columnists Thursday, April 30th, 2015

By Abdulrazaq O. Hamzat | NNP | April 30, 2015 – A friend narrated what he saw in a one of the videos of xenophobic attacks currently going on in South Africa.

Here him, ‘’I saw a crowd charging at a white vehicle. In the crowd
were youths,men and women and some with babies on their back. They
were out running each other to kill and murder a defenseless innocent
African brother. It was like a horror movie where the deranged are
thirsty of blood’’.

According to the news, what we were told was that, South Africans
accuse foreigners of taking their jobs and women, but we saw in the
videos uploaded online didn’t justify that claim. In the attacks,those
that are being attacked are shop owners who set up their own
businesses. Mobs attack shop owners and loot their properties. How
does that justify the claim that foreigners were taking their jobs?

When I first heard the news that some hoodlums in South African are
attacking foreigners in south Africa, i couldn’t understand why
responsible citizens of any nation would be attacking their foreign
guests, but it became more confusing when I heard that those being
attacked are fellow Africans brothers and sisters. The ignorant mobs
accused them of being foreigners taking their jobs and women. How so?
How can South Africa regard other African brothers as foreigners?
These were the same brothers who stood with them when they needed
them.

The motives behind this killing spree was hanged on the call by a
traditional ruler of Zulu, King Goodwill Zwelithini who allegedly said
foreigners should pack their bags and leave the country. They are
unwanted the king said,re-emphasizing the call even after many
foreigners were being killed in South Africa.

It was observed that, since the King allegedly made this hateful
remark last month, no one strongly rebuked him, no civil society
seriously condemned him, no government institution cautioned him and
no authority ask the public to disregard his remark. Despite making
the said statement in public before both police minister Nathi Nhleko
and prvincial MEC Willies Mchunu, government never reacted until the
attacks begun.

With the ongoing situation in South Africa, the march towards progress
has been terribly and abysmally truncated in modern African society.
Who will rescue Africa from itself?

Any inquiry into African crisis would sooner observe that, government
approach to crisis management is basically reactive: a crisis erupts
into violence and security forces are required to be deployed to
restore law and order. This may be followed by an inquiry (judicial or
otherwise) or such other options available to the government. All
these are seen as reacting to the rupture in the system. They never
take proactive measure to prevent crisis from starting, rather, they
wait for it to start and then react. This is a bad leadership trait.

Had the South African government, media, civil society organizations
and the entire country reacted strongly against the hateful remark of
the king, it is possible that we avert the current crisis.

The early warning signal about this incident had long been visible,
but the government didn’t give it much attention. Over and over again,
selective attacks of immigrants, particularly Nigerians have been
taking place in South Africa without adequate measure to prevent
recurrence. In 2008, similar incident took place, but there was no
measure to prevent its re-occurrence. It is my candidate opinion that,
South Africa government must take responsibility for this ugly scene
and ensure adequate protection for our brothers in South Africa. The
government must come forward to tell us what is really happening in
that country, what are south African media feeding their citizens with
in term of information?what is responsible for this Afro/xenophobia
and what measure would be put in place to prevent future
re-occurrence.

It should be noted that, few days to Nigeria’s governorship election,
the traditional ruler (King) of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akinolu made
comments perceived to be encouraging discrimination against certain
residents in Lagos, but before leaving the spot where the remark was
made, the entire Nigerian public had bombarded the Oba and rebuked him
for such remark. Even those the Oba was trying to support rebuked him.
This is how to respond to early warning signals of conflict, failure
of which some people might be fooled into believing such negative
call.

However, it was regrettable that despite the gravity of the ongoing
killing in South Africa,king Goodwill was still full of arrogance and
pride, feeling no remorse for his inciting remark. He said he has
nothing to be sorry about. The king, according to his spokesman,
Prince Zulu Thulan said that he stand by each and every of his words.
He maintained that, foreigners must pack their bags and get out of
South Africa, they are not wanted he said.

In view of the fore-going, It is safe to conclude that, some sections,
if not majority of South Africans directly or indirectly share the
position of the King.

Although, many countries have been condemning the incidence. South
African nationals both home and abroad have also expressed their
sadness over the incidence, urging their government to end the ugly
situation, but the murderers are determined to continue the killing
spree,yet government have not been doing enough to stop them. Some
pictures surfaced on the internet, where Suth African police simply
looked the other way while our African brother are being attacked and
looted.

Let true be told, the foundation of African brotherhood is shaking. A
continent which had always stood for freedom and shown solidarity with
its own is now being threatened. Those who watched Nigeria and other
African nations fight for South Africa’s freedom would be amazed at
the ongoing show of shame. Who are the attackers? They are Africans.
Who are being attacked? They are also Africans. So, how can Africans
be regarded as foreigners in Africa? This is a strange time.

It was recalled that, primary and secondary school children in Nigeria
often starved themselves to contribute money to be sent to South
Africa during the apartheid regime. Nigerian government was recorded
to have spent over $60 billion in the struggle to free South Africa.
Also, President Samora Micheal of Mozambique was killed mainly because
of his support for South Africa’s freedom. How can the same South
Africa accuse other brothers of taking their jobs and women? How can
they brand them foreigners in the same country where other western
immigrants could live without any problem? It is so disheartening.

As clearly captured by an unknown author in his narrative, South
Africa is a country, whose people would still have been struggling to
eke out meager existence in the back waters of their country, had
Nigeria not embolden herself and flex her muscles to rescue brother
and sister Africans, who were deepen in oppression and humiliation in
the southern part of the mother continent. How sad that Nigerian
citizens and other African brothers are now being repaid with ghastly
murder,looting,intimidation,brigandage and untold humiliation in a
territory that should be regarded as a brother African homeland. How
time flies.

There is no doubt that the majority of South Africans are good people
that are strongly against this foolishness. Many of them abhor the
conduct of the few misguided people among them, but we must continue
to raise our voice against the evil few amongst us.

Honourable Gbenga Olawepo, the former renowned student union leader in
Nigeria told me how he organize weekly protest and fund raising in
Lagos to support south Africa during the Apartheid regime. Many
universities, Civil Society Organizations and others across the
continent did what they can to extend helping hand to our brothers in
South African.

It was on record that Nigeria broke diplomatic tie with many western
nations during that period just to send strong signal to them that
their support for the apartheid regime would not be tolerated. Nigeria
boycotted the common wealth games in New zealand because of South
Africa, and 32 other countries joined us against the British
government. as a result of this strong action, the whole world took
notice and the struggle for the liberation of South Africa was
immediately hyper-accelerated.

Also, Nigeria took very drastic measure against foreign collaborators
of the apartheid regime, nationalizing their assets. President
Obasanjo’s regime particularly send strong signal to western nations
that Nigeria will not tolerate nor flirt with any country doing
business with the apartheid regime and as a result, Nigeria
nationalized Barclay’s bank in Nigeria after the bank ignored the
strong warning not to buy the South African bond, which would be in
violation of the economic/trade embargo on the racist apartheid
regime. Nigeria also nationalize the British Petroleum (BP) for
supplying oil to the apartheid regime. These were decisions that
carried heavy implication for Nigeria, but for the love of our
brothers in South Africa, the country risked all to help south Africa
regain freedom.

Additionally, Nigeria provided secrete military training in Kaduna and
other materials,financial and diplomatic support to African National
Congress (ANC) forces.

That is not all, Nigeria also provided full scholarship to South
Africans to study in Nigeria which include accommodation, feeding and
others. How can all these be forgotten so soon that the same Nigerian
and other African brothers are being killed in South Africa simply
because they reside in that country? This is such a dark time in
African history.

It is such a twisted faith that today, while those who imposed the
apartheid regime were being accorded respect in South Africa, those
brothers who sacrificed their life,time,comfort, resources and energy
are now being killed as foreigners in South Africa. What a shame.

Governor Fashola of Lagos once stated that, African countries like
Nigeria once expended much money and commitment to the fight against
apartheid, but he wondered why upon all the country’s effort at
restoring democracy in south Africa, Nigerians and other African
nationals are the one’s being driven out of South Africa.

While British which is the strongest backer of apartheid regime can
enter South Africa without a visa, Nigerians have to take a visa,
stressing that such issues pose very deep question. It is such a
surprise that, rather than improve its relationship with other African
nations, the current targeted killings opened another negative
chapter.

Who would have imagined that, the land of Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki
and others great freedom fighters, who gave their all for freedom
would suddenly be reduced to an anti-African gulag. Those ignorant
murderers who descend on fellow African have betrayed the great
African warriors and heroes who lay down their life fighting for
freedom in this beautiful continent named ‘’Mama Africa’’.

Let me remind King Goodwill and his goons that, when South Africa was
under apartheid regime, the king didn’t ask those he now referred to
as foreigners not to send their money to South Africa, he didn’t ask
Nigeria not to give scholarship to South Africans, he didn’t ask ANC
to reject all diplomatic, materials and financial support the entire
Africa was providing. The Over $60billion spent by Nigeria was never
rejected. Therefore, the King has no moral right to brand any one as
foreigners or tell them to leave South Africa.

Let me conclude that, while it is true that what is happening in South
Africa must be stopped at all cost, we must advice other African
nations not to resort to acting wrongly to our South African brothers
as a result of this incident. I have read that in Zambia, all South
African musics have been barred from their radio stations. Many are
also advocating for the closure of South African businesses like MTN,
DSTV and many others, but in my opinion, that is not the right thing
to do. South African musics are done by ordinary south Africans
struggling to make ends meat, we shouldn’t hold them responsible for
the bad actions of the few South Africans. Those who owned businesses
like Shoprite, MTN etc were also not responsible for the xenophobic
attacks and it wouldn’t be right to hold them accountable. Let us
focus on holding the South African government who have the primary
responsibility of protecting our brothers and sisters in South Africa.
We shouldn’t abhor the good South Africans because of the conduct of
the few bad one’s, let us jointly correct the bad one’s and restore
the almost broken relationship.
We must remembers that, Africa sold the ideals of the thesis of the
brotherhood of man which resonated in the diction of being your
brother’s keeper, to the global space. This African philosophy was
originated by the autochthones and had flourished throughout the ages.
It transformed into collectivism with a garb of solidarity,
cooperation and compromise. This has been clothed in a parable,
contextualizing the harmonious relationship between the tree and the
leaves as: This collectivist orientation of African values is shown
where marriage is perceived as a contract between families, land is
vested in communities and work is seen as a social obligation towards
the group, where sharing with other members of the group is an
obligation of those who have more than they need for survival (economy
of affection). The much used parable to symbolize this relationship
between the group and its constituent individuals is that of the tree
and its leaf (sic). The leaf is doomed if separated from the tree,
while the tree can grow more leafs (sic) and is not affected by the
loss of few leaves, but dies when loosing many or all leaves (Munker,
1998:80). The ideal of collectivism, therefore, buttresses the point
of cooperation and cooperative societies recognized the world over.
Abdulrazaq O Hamzat is a Peace and Conflict Expert. He writes from
Abuja, Nigeria and can be reach on [email protected].
Follow me on twitter @Abdool101wp_posts

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