UKZN STUDENTS SPEAK OUT
SA: a land of refuge?
by Joly Lutakwa
South Africa has been one of few African countries
to reach democracy and relative economic stability. It has long been a place of refuge for those
persecuted for political and economic reasons in other neighboring countries. And,
in turn, it has been enriched by the contributions these people have made to South
African life.
However, during the last couple of
weeks, we have witnessed how xenophobic attacks have turned some black South
Africans against their fellow black counterparts from neighboring countries.
This has affected thousands of refugees and other asylum seekers, including Zimbabweans,
Congolese, Somalians, Rwandans, Nigerians, etc. on the grounds of racial, rather
than political persecution. The slogan used from time to time, is that ''they
are foreign and are taking our land, jobs and women".
Having witnessed the
impact of similar attacks toward people who are different from ''Us'', in
countries like Rwanda, Somalia and the DRC,
I feel extreme concern about the
fact that people are being attacked without a real or defendable cause, other
than being (perceived as) different. We
would never have imagined that black South Africans, after years of apartheid
and experiencing what it meant to be treated differently, would fail to
tolerate these unfortunate fellow Africans seeking safety within their borders.
What is the point of being able to say that South Africa has acted in a
praiseworthy way during the last war of apartheid, if we have nothing positive
to say about what has been done in the current one?
For many Somalians,
Rwandans, Congolese and others who have seen the war spread across their
countries like a wild fire, and where their people have had to flee their
homes leaving everything behind, as their villages were being attacked, and
people burnt alive for being different,
this has brought back the bad memories of their past. Some have gone so far as
to believe that it might be a nightmare; that these circumstances could only be
real in their dreams, for one should not have to live to see such horrifying
images twice in one lifetime. Unfortunately, these incidents are indeed a grave
reality.
Joly Lutakwa is a graduate of Industrial Organizational & Labour Studies. Join the discussion
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