The Animals in South Africa

Comfort Obi

The recent happenings in South Africa must go down in history as one of the ironies of life. It must go down as the worst ingratitude ever shown by a people in human history to those who gave them life. Suddenly, black South Africans are killing citizens of other countries, especially Nigerians, Mozambicans and Zimbabweans. They are maiming them, setting them ablaze, looting their properties, destroying most, and forcing them out of South Africa. “Foreigners go!,” is the refrain. Whatever happened?
Black South Africans, who were saved by other countries, have suddenly began to suffer from what has been described in the press as Xenophobia. In simple terms: The fear of strangers.They hold immigrants responsible for the high unemployment rates in South Africa - 40 per cent. They accuse them of taking over their country. So, they trooped out – guns, matchetes, cudgels, and other dangerous weapons in hand – killing and maiming immigrants. A front-page photograph carried by the Business Day of Tuesday, May 20, tells the story. There, a black immigrant was, down on all fours, with angry tongues of fire spewing forth from his body. Walking down, almost liesurely, was a policeman who neither had shock, nor dismay on his face. To him, it has become the usual.
Reports indicate that the phobia for immigrants had always existed in South Africa. In small South African towns, immigrants from Pakistan and Somali are once in a while chased out. But nobody, since apartheid, had seen anything this cruel before. It started a couple of weeks ago from Alexandra and, like wildfire, spread to other cities. Black South Africans were up in arms. They destroyed homes. They looted homes. They burnt and destroyed businesses owned by especially Nigerians and Mozambicans. They killed them in dozens, atimes, burning them alive. They want all foreigners out of their country. So, because they want them out, they are burning them alive. Men, women, children. It is like armaggedon. And a big irony. Suddenly, black South Africans who were completely humiliated by White South Africans can now talk. Suddenly, those who couldn’t attend the same schools as white South Africans, those who couldn’t live in the same areas as white South Africans, now know who are natives, and who are immigrants. These people were called animals by white South Africans, and were treated so. Now, with the behaviour of some of them, they have confirmed that the name fits. They are sending immigrants on the run. This is a country which would host the World Cup in 2010. I suggest that African countries boycott that event in protest. FIFA should review South Africa's hosting rights.
About 14 years ago, before the death nail was driven into the coffin of apartheid, black South Africans were on the run. They flooded every country in Mother Africa. They were welcomed with open arms. In their country, they were debased, tortured, murdered, jailed and sent on exile. They had no future. Nigeria, in particular, was in the forefront of countries which rallied round them. It gave them shelter. Their scholars and students were in our universities. The African National Congress, ANC, was funded. In deed, South African President, Thabo Mbeki, once carried the Nigerian passport. When the first black elected South African President, Nelson Mandela, came out of jail after 27 years, Nigeria was his first port of call. He came along with his former wife, Winnie Mandela, to show appreciation for the role Nigeria played in his release, and the maintenance of Winnie. Mozambicans showed black South Africans the same passion. Their former First Lady, Gracia, is now married to Nelson Mandela. But the immigrants from these two countries, and those from Zimbabwe, are the worst victims of the black South African rage. And what has been the reaction of the ANC? Lukewarm, at best. And Mbeki? Two weeks after, he never visited the areas. Under pressure, he was forced to send soldiers to make efforts at arresting the shameful situation. But you know what?
I don’t blame the South African authority. The kernel, which they are comfortably chewing now, was cracked for them by a benevolent spirit. Shockingly, as in the Nigerian case, this benevolent spirit has not cracked that palm kernel for its own children. I have not heard any strong condemnation of the sad situation in South Africa by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. The so-called giant of Africa watches, while its children are trampled upon.
I am not a student of International Relations and Diplomacy, but the only one I understand is: Tit for tat. South Africans are attacking Nigerians and other nationals because they feel they had taken up employments due to them. Do they know the number of unemployed Nigerian citizens parading Nigeria, and the number of South Africans employed in Nigeria? While South Africans are killing and maiming Nigerians, their companies (check out, especially, MTN, Protea and DSTV), are here ripping us off! Do they think Nigerians can’t take out these cruel killings of Nigerians, and the destruction of their businesses on their people and their companies here?
But that is the lot of Nigeria. We play big brother to others, while they hate us. Look at Ghana. They don’t want to see Nigerians. They make things difficult for them. Yet, once in a while, the Nigerian government picks their bills. You can say the same thing of some other African countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo. We fight their battles. And yet.... We should change our foreign policy to that which is centred on our people. We should hit back at any country that hits, or insults us. We gain nothing from helping those who jeer at us behind us, and stab us at the back.
But a word for those Nigerians who would prefer to do all kinds of humiliating jobs, and take all kinds of insults in other countries in the name of living abroad: Stay in your country, especially if you know you are going to be an illegal immigrant in any country. When the chips are down, there is nowhere like home.