The xenophobia files: Part one

First of all, I apologise to all foreign nationals both directly and indirectly affected by the recent xenophobic attacks. I am not a perpetrator and I do not support the perpetrators, but, as a South African, these stupid attacks were done in my name against our fellows from across the border, and for that I am ashamed, and partly to blame.

Those that believe they are innocent must ask themselves these questions. How many times have we allowed people to call foreign nationals “amakwerekwere” without protest, simply shying away from using it ourselves? How many times have we allowed people to argue that all criminals are foreigners without contesting that? How many times have we harboured thoughts that South African women who go out with foreign nationals are a spent force that may carry disease and need to be avoided? Why have we allowed the perception to grow that drugs are sold by Nigerians?

I know that my apology might not bring back those lives that were lost during this period of madness, and they will not bring back people’s belongings that were looted from them by wolves posing as South African citizens. But I hope, for lack of anything much to do, that our fellows shall find it in them to forgive me, and many other South Africans who stood helplessly while others were being killed, and that we did not offer ourselves as human shields.

It is a shame that all we could do was collect signatures and participate in anti-xenophobia marches that we knew were not going to stop the violence. I apologise that some of our own organisations and leaders could only condemn the violence behind the mask of television screens and never on the battle field. I apologise that as a country we have not been able to produce leaders, but rather a bunch of people who shrink and melt at the sign of real problems but are vociferous about their willingness to lead!

What saddens me most is that contrary to my belief, these acts seem to have the support of a majority of poor people in our country, police included. At the beginning of these acts I would have entirely dismissed them as simply the work of a group of paid mercenaries whose main aim was destabilisation; not so, as my interactions proved!

Indeed, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. Not only are we to be ashamed for our own actions, but for the actions of our fellow countrymen. It is the duty of every society to familiarise new members of a society such as infants about the norms and values of that particular society. These norms vary from place to place; in South Africa they include ubuntu (human solidarity).

New members of a society are not only expected to be familiar with existent norms and values but are also expected to practise them and at some point pass them on to a new generation. The failure of a society to familiarise infants with correct norms may result in deviance such as acts of intolerance instead of ubuntu.

Whenever deviance occurs, a society ought to punish deviants in such a manner that none dares deviate in the future, else that could result in severe stigmatisation of that society, which could ultimately lead to a break in the social cohesion of a nation. An example of this is that it is difficult to walk on the street as a group without foreign nationals running away thinking you might be attackers.

We have acquired ourselves stigmas as a result of bunch of idiots who have mercilessly attacked innocent people, and of that I am ashamed. Apart from burying ourselves in shame we need to study the occurrences of the previous weeks and learn proper lessons, to avoid them in the future.

We need to ask ourselves: What is it that fostered such resentment towards foreign nationals? Is it dramatised media reports about foreigners crossing borders into our country? Is it lack of government service delivery? Is it remnants of the IFP trying to resurrect itself? Is it true or possible that foreign nationals are the only contributors of crime in South Africa, as people shout in the street? We cannot be dismissive when we analyse, but we need to be open and honest enough to avoid any future problems.

Sociologists spend much time studying why humans behave the way they do, attempting to piece together what it really is that leads humans or animals to behave in a particular manner, especially if the actions studied are of a deviant manner.

Likewise, South Africans and many around the world have been left studying the causes of these recent ghastly events. It seems clear to everyone that the main feature of these killings was the assertion that “foreigners must go”. Hidden behind this mask is a whole range of issues that I will try to study throughout this series on “xenophobic attacks”. Soon I shall be attempting to understand why our people say “foreigners must go”.