Xenophobia continues to ravage African communities

by Cornelius Clay

Recently in South Africa…

Africans in South Africa brace themselves for a new wave of xenophobic attacks in the country beginning the on the 2nd of September 2019. These attacks target nationals from other African countries of which locals believe to be the cause of the high unemployment rate in the country.

At least five people have been killed amid protests targeting fellow African National-owned shops. Three of the deaths occurred in Durban while dozens of others were injured since these attacks began.

The African nationals normally targeted are from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya, and other neighboring countries who are accused of being responsible for the low employment rate in the country by engaging in criminal activities such as theft and drug trafficking; while simultaneously taking all the jobs away from the native labor force.

“We are going to shut down the whole of South Africa and go to all firms where foreigners are working and we will remove them from the workplaces… We will put block all main roads to stop and search all foreigners working with home affairs. We are not happy that foreigners come to South Africa and accept meager wages while in South Africa we agreed the minimum wage should be R3500. “

Studio 7 News, unidentified Zulu man

Some high profile members of the South African government have justified taking measures against the growing number of African Nationals as early as 2017, who they believe would soon take over the country if left unchecked.

On the contrary, African nationals have contributed largely to the success of the South African economy. According to the damning report released by the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR), the majority of immigrants and refugees entering South Africa in search of a better life manage to succeed in accomplishing just that.
“Furthermore, they [African Nationals from other African countries] make up 11 percent of South Africa’s working population, and they make a huge contribution to the South African economy through providing goods and services, paying rent, and buying from South African wholesalers,” the report reads.
One such economic contribution is in the form of informal convenience stores, known locally as spaza shops. They are frequently owned by African Nationals who make it convenient for locals to buy basic goods at the lowest prices right on their own block.

The nationals purchase their goods from local manufacturers and wholesalers which aide in the boost of the overall economy. In addition, they also have to pay VAT tax (value-added tax) for doing business in South Africa, along with other additional taxes further contributing to the economy.

So far the South African police have arrested 43 people into custody regarding the attacks on fellow African Nationals. With the use of teargas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades, the impact of the police force has been steady.

The xenophobia which seeks the removal of the fellow African Nationals from the country could potentially have a negative impact on the South African economy.

Meanwhile in Nigeria…

Video footage has been spotted floating around the internet of looting taking place in Lekki Lagos in retaliation to the xenophobic attacks occurring in South Africa. Some Nigerians who went there on Tuesday stated they were there to protest the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, but it quickly escalated into looting the South African owned stores.

Tuesday night the traffic in the area was heavy as people took hours to get home due to the foot traffic of protesting looters.

At the circular mall in Jakande-Lekki, the protesters succeeded in tearing down shelves before the military stepped in to protect the shop. The protestors still remained in the area well after seven pm.

“We want to burn Shoprite”, one of the protestors told the P.M.News reporter, who explained that the mall itself is not owned by the South African owned Shoprite and that if they destroy the place, a Nigerian-owned insurance company would probably compensate the company owning the mall.

Looting also took place at Adeniran Ogunsanya Mall in Surulere, where the shops looted belonged to fellow Nigerian nationals. Valuable items were looted from M$G Global Communications, Affordable Boutique and other shops  Tuesday night. A policeman who requested to remain anonymous said the shops belonged to Nigerians when speaking with NAN reporters.

The Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama took to twitter expressing his displeasure in receiving the news of the attacks in South Africa. He said that Nigeria is tired of hearing the news of homes belonging to Nigerian nationals being burned down, and definitive measures will be taken.

Back in 2017, Minister Onyeama stated that the relations between the two countries remained strong despite xenophobic attacks that were taking place against Nigerians in South Africa at that time. He and his South African counterpart Maite Nkoana-Mashabane met with Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba to discuss bilateral relations. It was at this time it was decided that the attacks should not dent the special relationship between the two countries and that South African businesses were safe in Nigeria.

Onyeama was recently requested by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to summon the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria and get a brief on the situation while expressing Nigeria’s displeasure over the treatment of its citizens in the country. Their aim is to obtain assurances of the safety of their lives and property.

President Buhari also sent a special envoy to South Africa to convey his concerns regarding the treatment of Nigerians in South Africa to the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

As the World Looks On…

On Monday, various African governments warned their citizens living abroad in South Africa to take safety precautions as targeted prospects. They expressed frustration with the latest wave of attacks targeting fellow African National-owned businesses in South Africa.

The Ethiopian Embassy in South Africa advised citizens to close their shops “until peace is restored”, according to Ethiopian media, and Zambia’s Ministry of Transport and Communications warned Zambian truck drivers not to travel into the country.

In closing, this xenophobia that plagues the African continent has been established in the European definitions of country borders and the respective people residing in those areas as Nigerian, Ghanaian, Zimbabwean, etc. These country borders were defined by the European colonial powers at the Conference of Berlin in 1884. This conference regulated the European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period. In effect, these attending nations negotiated and formalized claims to territory on the continent of Africa, and this is their legacy..

Today these country borders shape the identities of their respective residents away from native definitions of Yoruba, Ewe, Fulani, Zulu, Xhosa, etc. A locale where the countries aren’t defined by nation-states as they are in Europe with French, Greek, English, Spaniards, etc.

Fast forward to a century later, and our people are still unconscious fighting each other based on the nationalistic instinct of colonial identity. A mass reorientation is needed to place Africans back in touch with their root. One which understands the different blossoms the root produces from the same stalk.

What are your thoughts on conflict resolution?