A time for less compassion

Like everyone else, I am horrified and sickened by the images of people being burned alive, chased from their homes, and other unspeakable acts of violence occurring on our doorsteps. However, I am not filled with a sense of charity in the light of these acts. My overwhelming response is: foreigners, go home.

Everyone can agree this should never have reached this point. By all indication, these feelings have been brewing for a long time, with many analysts surprised its taken this long to reach a point of explosion. It’s also debatable (as per Ndumiso’s excellent piece on this issue the other day) what the causes are. I tend to think that you have to follow the money and the booze. Looting and chaos like this is often not about any clear political issue, and is simply about people’s unchecked emotions bubbling over and creating a tolerant space for criminals and maniacs.

Still, there is one underlying issue with which its easy to sympathise. A Zimabwean man was interviewed by the BBC the other day. He is working in South Africa illegally as a driver. When asked whether he could understand why young South Africans could be angry with him he seemed baffled. “We are also just trying to make money”, he said, “Things are bad back home.”

Again, easy to feel gooey eyed at this. But let’s pause for a moment and understand this. This guy has crossed the border illegally and is now being given work illegally by a South African citizen with no work permit. He is, quite specifically, taking a job away from another South African. That pisses me off, actually.

South Africa doesn’t have the luxury of being generous with our jobs and our money to foreigners. We have a desperate unemployment problem here, coupled with Aids and a bewildering array of other causes for great poverty and misery. We need to focus our resources internally, uplifting our own population. Foreigners, I’m afraid, most especially illegal immigrants, need to go home.

I am startled by this incredible outpouring of love and support toward foreigners, expressed by bloggers, radio talkshow callers and the media. Again, some part of me understands this as I hear and see the suffering these people are experiencing. And don’t get me wrong, the violence is to be condemned in no uncertain terms. At the very least, as Thabo Mbeki said, these are humans just like us.

But where is the similar outpouring of understanding toward our own population, the frustration and misery of which has (at least in part) led to this situation in the first place? It’s a time for less compassion for foreigners, and more compassion toward our own starving, struggling, desperate fellow citizens.

We have failed to keep these foreigners out of our borders, that blame can be laid with the state. But we employ these people — how many people do you know who have illegal Malawian gardeners or builders or other labourers? We have created this problem, we have set the ball in motion leading to this point.

A peaceful resolution is desperately needed. The legal immigrants need to be differentiated from the illegal ones, but the government needs as a matter of urgency to send those who have no right to be here, back home. And the chain emails and Facebook groups trying to raise money to help these people out need to have a good rethink about focusing on helping our own people out.

To the foreigners, we need to send a clear message: go home and fix up your own countries. Even if we’re generous in favour of the MDC, something like 30-40% of Zimabweans voted for Robert Mugabe again in the last election, despite everything. That’s no-one’s fault. You don’t like your dictator, get rid of him, one way or the other. But don’t have 4 out of 10 of your buddies vote the guy back in, and then run over the border and make your problems ours.

Or, rather, you are welcome to do that, when we have 95% employment and are in a position to help. But we’re stretched too thin already. Sorry for your troubles, but South Africa is not in a position to assist right now.