The past three weeks have seen an unraveling of yet another set of tragic events of a xenophobic nature in the South African eastern coastal city of Durban and in Johannesburg, the commercial hub of South Africa, the economic powerhouse of the continent. A group of locals took it upon themselves to attack, mistreat and kill black non-South African citizens living in the country. These foreign nationals were accused of living in South Africa without the legal documents that allow their stay, taking jobs meant for citizens, committing crimes and successfully running businesses in townships where South African businesses are struggling to thrive.
It’s been reported that these outrageous attacks perpetrated on black Africans in South Africa were sparked by the Zulu tribal leader, King Goodwill Zwelithini, in a speech he delivered few weeks ago in which he was recorded uttering in isiZulu that “foreign nationals” in South Africa should pack their bags and go back to their countries of origin. King Zwelithini later claimed that his words were taken out of context.
Violence and looting of shops owned by non-South Africans, which initially began in Isipingo, a township in Durban, have over the past two weeks spread to other areas of the city and, more recently, reports of xenophobic attacks were reported in Johannesburg – particularly in Alexandra, a township in Johannesburg. Among the many acts of violence as seen reported in mainstream media and on social media platforms, probably the most appalling and heart-wrenching was the brutal killing of Mozambican citizen Emmanuel Sithole, who was stabbed and killed in the early hours of Saturday 18 April in Alexandra. His death sent shock-waves around the world. The South African government, the police force and many civic organisations have been working to control the situation, setting up camps and shelters for families to be accommodated until a resolution to the situation is found. In an effort to fight xenophobia, a peace march was held on Thursday 16 April in Durban and, on Monday 20 April, King Goodwill Zwelithini called the Zulu community to a gathering (imbizo, in isiZulu)which took place at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. In his speech, the king called for an end to xenophobic violence. So far, 7 people have lost their lives and thousands have been displaced. At the time of writing, it had emerged that the South African Defence Force, on the instruction of the Cabinet ministers from the security cluster, has been deployed to neighborhoods in Durban and Johannesburg considered to be hotpots. This is on the back of an attack on a Zimbabwean couple in Alexandra. Tensions in these areas are still high. Out of fear of losing their lives, some families, in collaboration with governments from their countries of origin, are making plans to leave South Africa.
What we’ve seen in South Africa over the past three weeks is too painful for words. The 1Africa team stands in heart and prayer with the families of those who have lost their loved ones and with everyone who has suffered during these attacks. We pray for a peaceful resolution to this crisis and, above all, we pray that as Africans, we will come to a place of truly loving and valuing our own people.