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The Ugly Naked Truth About South African Xenophobia
By Michael Chishala
“Bob Marley said ‘How long shall they kill our prophets, while we stand aside and look?’ But little did he know that eventually the enemy will stand aside and look. While we slash and kill our own brothers knowing that already they are the victims of the situation…. She took me outside to the churchyard, showed me graves on the ground. And she said ‘There lies a man who fought for equality. There lies a boy who died in his triumph. Can all these heroes die in vain?'”
These words were written 22 years ago by the greatest Reggae artist in Africa; Lucky Dube. Being the brilliant social commentator that he was, Dube captured the essence of the Xenophobic violence we recently witnessed in South Africa in these few poignant words. He got to the root of the matter by singing about the black South African violent culture that sadly resulted in his own life being taken in 2007, one year before the last major outbreak of Xenophobia in which more than 60 foreigners were murdered in cold blood.
Dube’s lyrics are a far cry from the shameful public posturing of South African President Jacob Zuma who was not only slow to react to the senseless murders of foreigners, but has blamed the legacy of Apartheid as the root cause of the violent culture in his country. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I am of the considered view that the extremely violent culture of many black South Africans has its roots back in the early 19th Century during the “Mfecane”, a time of violent tribal warfare in South Africa that was spearheaded by the two powerful chiefs Shaka and Mzilikazi. These two caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands (possibly millions according to some estimates) as they went on rampage, building their empires with ruthless, merciless, violent methods.
The result was carnage of a kind never witnessed before in Southern Africa as vast tracts of land were left depopulated by tribes that fled northwards as far as East Africa with some landing in Zambia such as the Ngoni and Kololo. Many that escaped the direct killings died of starvation and lack of water during their flight from tyranny.
Shaka and Mzilikazi were extremely cruel leaders who taught their people to have no mercy and not value human life. I posit that that after the first generation was taught, the next one learned it and the violence continues unabated to this day and there seems no willingness in the South African leadership to stop it through education and zero tolerance for criminal activity.
By the time Apartheid was established in 1948, the culture of violence was already deeply entrenched. During apartheid, blacks continued murdering each other as the racist Boers watched. The vast majority of the violent deaths during Apartheid were due to black-on-black violence.
It can be argued that the reason the Boers were so heavy-handed with the blacks was precisely because they saw how violent and militant the local tribes already were. The mass murders during Mfecane were done without any recourse to natural justice but the Boers on the other hand had systems of law. Black “trouble makers” were usually put on trial and not not just indiscriminately murdered anyhow. The biggest mischief maker himself Nelson Mandela was put through a public trial and sentenced according to the laws back then.
The Apartheid regime certainly had a hand in the black-on-black violence by often secretly sponsoring divisions but they were preying on an already established violent culture to divide and conquer. The African National Congress (ANC) and Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP) regularly fought many bloody battles during Apartheid. The ANC were the champions of the infamous “necklacing” of perceived enemies, with Winnie Mandela going as far as publicly saying that “With our boxes of matches and our necklaces we shall liberate this country” in 1986. During the 2008 Xenophobic attacks, necklacing was used against foreigners. No surprises there.
According to Max Coleman (former member of the South African Human Rights Commission) who wrote the most definitive history of Apartheid repression which was presented to the Desmond Tutu Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 21,000 people were killed during apartheid (1948-1994). 92% of these deaths were due to black-on-black violence. 14,000 out of the 21,000 died during the transition process from 1990 to 1994 when the iron rule of the Boers was loosening.
Only about 7,000 died in 42 years (1948-1990) when the racist Boers were fully in charge. The much-vilified Boers killed less than 2,000 people in 46 years with deaths directly caused by the apartheid security forces being a mere 518. However, there have been on average about 20,000 violent killings per year post-apartheid. It took just one calendar to break the 46-year record of the Boers which included the violent 4 year transition period in which 3,500 people per year got killed on average. Imagine that.
After crying and fighting for independence, the blacks in South Africa have miserably failed to manage themselves while they continue blaming the white man and foreigners for their perennial problems. Too many South African blacks are so ungrateful for the sacrifices we made to liberate them.
The ANC freedom fighters were housed here in Zambia on government payroll, coordinating their independence struggle while our nation was becoming bankrupt. My own father was personal friends with Thabo Mbeki when he lived in Mtendere township in Lusaka. We lived with the freedom fighters in our neighbourhood and they were famous for sorting out thieves at night who dared steal from them.
South Africa is a broken nation with too many people messed up in their heads. This is not going to stop until there is a long term plan to fix it which begins with zero tolerance to crime. Former president Mr Mandela did something to try to heal the wounds but Zuma undid his efforts with passive inaction. The governance systems set up by the British colonialists and the Boers are breaking down daily and it is just a matter of time South Africa ends up a basket case like many African countries, unless urgent interventions are put in place.
South Africa has lost its appeal for many immigrants. Dube’s words described the tribulations of black people oppressed by Apartheid on one side and being attacked by their fellow blacks on the other. There has been a cruel twist of fate as black immigrants who have fled civil wars, brutal dictatorships and economic turmoil in their home countries can now also lay claim to these words by Lucky Dube:
“We are the victims everytime. We got double trouble everytime”.
Posted by Kunda
on May 15, 2015. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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koswe
May 15, 2015 at 1:30 pm
spot on !no wonder our ex-veep Guy Scot correctly put it “south africans are backwards”.sananame muzungu wathu uja.
zakeyo
May 15, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Well articulated!
Thats why is important to learn history!
But Guy Scot is no different from the other colonial abusive whites. What he meant is that in Zambia, we treat whites nicely and he even had the mistaken chance of being our VP! If Guy was progressive , he would have supported Lungu. Thank God Mrs Wina checked the guy!
Surely we a better than the South Afriacans but not as Guy Scot meant. Guy Scot enjoy Zambia under our civilized people and President!
ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION!
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Kennedy
May 15, 2015 at 1:31 pm
100%
Sounds like the author’s thinking has been siemese twin with mine before.
Lamfras
May 15, 2015 at 2:45 pm
How I pray the auther of this goog piece of writting sirculate it to make sure these morons reads even though they are dumbs
New Educated Zambia©
May 15, 2015 at 3:02 pm
More like the ugly truth about electing incompetent governments that cannot assure you basic standards of living and human rights in your own borders. Such that you forced to move away and dance to the tune of your fellow africans who have had enough of you and see you as a burden. Vote UPND to put zambians first within our own borders. If south africa can do something, we can do it twice better!
VAMPIRO
May 15, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Read the wise arrival before posting yo shame here. No wonder you are dull.
VAMPIRO
May 15, 2015 at 4:00 pm
Article not arrival. Typo chikala
New Educated Zambia©
May 15, 2015 at 6:30 pm
kiki do you see how stupid you seem
Chitapankwa
May 15, 2015 at 3:27 pm
Well written Michael,you have educated me on a lot things i never new about apartheid despite staying here in south africa.I can tell you most of these black south africans will take forever for them to accept a foreign black.Like Mugabe said it,Its only in South Africa where an illiterate black man will accuse a black Medical Doctor of stealing their job.
Milton Siatontola
May 15, 2015 at 3:45 pm
sorry i think its lucky dube who did that song
Baba
May 15, 2015 at 3:48 pm
Its Bob Marley
nsense
May 15, 2015 at 3:50 pm
its a pity that we can never impress our friends the south Africans who have very short memories, they need to realize that we have also their investments as well as personnel in our countries
Judge Joe Bidden
May 15, 2015 at 4:04 pm
A well researched writing, although Mfecane brought about misery and brutal killings emanating from Kwa Zulu Kingdom, it very much contributed to today’s demographic settlement of tribes who basically ran away from Shaka nd Mzilikazi. If it wasnt Shaka possibly Lozis would have settled in Mahikeng (SA) or Botswana with their Tswana cousins, Ngonis in Zimbabwe in Matebele Kingdom… then Edgar would have been a Mutebele! kikiki… kidding am tired need a beer.
dman
May 15, 2015 at 5:48 pm
well articulated have learnt something
kabaso
May 15, 2015 at 6:12 pm
Lucky Dube was killed by Mozambican Nationals. an estimated 5.5 million Zimbabweans, +- 1 million Malawans, +- 1 million Mozambicans and about +-1400 Zambians are living in South Africa, most of them illegally. What do you expect from the locals if they cant finf jobs. its not a passport that we helped them during apartheid then we should in a way oppress them. put yourself in their position, you cant eat history you need a job.
VAMPIRO
May 16, 2015 at 3:41 am
Why are you putting +- and about at the same time.
Nikambeko
May 16, 2015 at 1:38 pm
Are black foreigners in SA oppressing the indigenous black South Africans? Are you really sure about that?
mj banda
May 17, 2015 at 1:26 pm
@kababaso, you know nothing regarding xenophobia, remember xenophobia started with the king and zuma remained mute. ask yourself that question.
kabaso
May 15, 2015 at 6:19 pm
What I would say is that South Africa should learn from Botswana how it systematically chased out foreigners from its country, including you Zambians. Yalikosa bane.
kabaso
May 17, 2015 at 7:32 pm
The king triggered it. it has always been in South African minds. if we can have just 4 million influx of foreigners into Zambia and let them have access to schools and government Bursaries and everything, definitely you will cry on top of your voice like a toddler.
Karabassis
May 15, 2015 at 9:49 pm
NEZ……vote upnd weka
ichintu2011
May 15, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Ba Chishala you are man of wisdom jst from your article one can tell your personality….thanx pliz your contact if possible..
kayuls
May 16, 2015 at 7:33 am
The most painful thing is leaving this country i call my own as painful as I found it when we can easily change it. Pipo have education if well applied zambia can change. why should one individual have billions when million are failing to have even a single meall.?Why should we leave the poor to take care of the poor.lets share the little we have with the poor and make zambia a home for everyone
New Educated Zambia©
May 16, 2015 at 9:27 am
And we as you to vote upnd wwhich has a solid eeconomic plan to equitably redistribute wealth to all zambians. The pf was voted in on pro poor policies. Fast forward years later how havetthey helped you and I
kakolwe
May 16, 2015 at 9:52 am
@Kayuls, It would be very sad if you are suggesting socialism here. Yes, one may have billions (in $) stolen or not, the fact remains that we Zambians always believe that there should be a ‘somebody else’ to lift our skinny arsses & make us rich. The kind of stoopidity that has engulfed the upnd in sticking to a rich loser in the hope that his wealth shall win them the presidency. Ebupuba! We can make make it on our own.
vampiro
May 16, 2015 at 12:38 pm
Thats true @ chikolwe
Upnd thinks hhs wealth will translate into national wealth once he becomes president. Thats laughable and wishful thinking.
Nikambeko
May 16, 2015 at 1:52 pm
This is a perfect well researched article. For the South Africans, education is the key to claiming most of the jobs held by foreigners. They should learn from the Tswanas who, over the years, have been peacefully taking over some jobs by first learning from foreigners.They never saw foreigners as enemies but as people they could learn skills from.
Economic Advisor
May 16, 2015 at 2:47 pm
NEZ nimbwafye mweee gud artical bafikala
New Educated Zambia©
May 17, 2015 at 8:18 am
The pf economic adviser that only knows insults .Typical kiki chikwandanomics
proud malawian
May 17, 2015 at 8:43 am
It’s pathetic that instead of taking advantage of the so many universities that the whites build for them to earn better education and compete with the whites for white collar jobs, these savages are busy blaming others for their failures. It’s time these savages took responsibilities for their failures in life and do something about it.
finest
May 18, 2015 at 4:10 pm
I like your thinking Malawian, the UPND is doing is blaming the PF government for their failures instead of taking responsibilities for their own action like NEZ is doing.
finest
May 18, 2015 at 4:10 pm
I like your thinking Malawian, all the UPND is doing is blaming the PF government for their failures instead of taking responsibilities for their own action like NEZ is doing.