The recurring xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa has come under scrutiny as analysts across the continent points accusing fingers at the ANC government in South Africa whom they say employ bigoted rhetoric against foreign nationals in the country which has turned their citizens against fellow African nationals. It could be recalled that the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) had on several occasion blamed the ANC government officials of using similar rhetoric to shield their incompetence at addressing the socioeconomic challenges facing the country.
Government officials have continued to blame foreigners for the country’s rising crimes rate but has failed to look at its failure to curb rising unemployment, create jobs, and address other socioeconomic issues. According to South Africa’s population statistics show the migrants make up less than 3 per cent of the population at just 2.82 per cent of the country’s 58-million people.
Late last year, Mr. Bongani Michael Mkongi the current Deputy Minister of Police in South Africa, in a press briefing questioned the rationale behind the growing population of foreign nationals in the Hillbrow area of Johannesburg. He said that it is against the interest of South Africa to have about 80 per cent of foreigners dominate a certain area of the city and also control businesses in the area. Answering questions from journalists, Mr. Mkongi said that “a situation where foreigners own businesses and even control the businesses in the Hillbrow area of the city is a form of economic sabotage on South Africa, thus such should be resisted”, he warned.
The recent attacks targeted at foreign nationals and their businesses mostly Nigerians have come under condemnation as videos of the attacks trend across the continent. Also there are news reports from South Africa that trucks are being attacked by different gangs of South African nationals. As at the time of going to press, over seven trucks have been attacked in the last 48 hours using petrol bombs, attacks directly presumably against Zimbabweans.
In all these attacks which has become a recurring incident almost every year over the last decade, and in each occasion, the South African authorities seem to stand by and watching while the attackers have a field day against migrants and foreign nationals, and their businesses.
In this latest attacks, crowds of South Africans descended on businesses and spaza shops owned by migrants and foreign nationals, looting and helping themselves to the goods on the shelves and calmly walking away with the stolen goods while Policemen watch without intervening. A situation one diplomat in Pretoria described as the looters “acting with the knowledge that there will be no consequences for their actions, because the police don’t take any action”.
The government of South Africa according to analysts has failed to curtail growing unemployment which is presently sits at 29 per cent in the first quarter of 2019, according to StatsSA. This affects youth largely and the alleged looting was mostly carried out by youths. With politicians and public officials hiding under claims that foreigners are taking jobs away from nationals to exacerbate xenophobic attacks, South Africa is setting itself up for an implosion which may not bode well for the interest of the country.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.