Sunday,
April 19, 2015
Folks, news reports about the
xenophobic violence against immigrants in South Africa are disturbing. So also
are reports that 12 Ghanaians (considered to be Christians) among a group of
Africans emigrating to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea had been thrown
overboard by their Muslim migrating counterparts to perish just because of
“religious differences”.
The happenings in South Africa
are particularly troubling for several reasons; and they raise very serious
questions:
• What is the crime of these
immigrants to warrant their being so targeted?
• What exactly are the immigrants
doing “to make it”, which the South African nationals aren’t able to do (and
which might be a catalyst for their being hated and attacked)?
• Are these migrants employed in
the public sector or the private sector, where they are using their own
resources, business-minded expertise and administrative acumen to manage their
enterprises successfully (which might make them the bull’s eye to be so
attacked by those unable to do so)?
• Is there any official programme
in place that favours the immigrants to the disadvantage of the South African
nationals? What for and why should there be any programme of the sort?
• What exactly could be the
factors catalyzing these xenophobic attacks on the immigrants?
Folks, many other questions are
begging for answers. The socio-economic situation in South Africa hasn’t improved
under the ANC-led administration and the optimism that ushered in the “Black
South African” self-rule has virtually dissipated or snowballed into paranoia
and misplaced vengeance against immigrants.
An inkling of this kind of
rampage against immigrants is provided by Niq Mhlongo (in his much-acclaimed
novel, Dog-Eat-Dog) and could be predicted by a careful reader. In
truth, the main motivation for it is the misperception that the immigrants are
raking in benefits from the system while the indigenes are left destitute as a
result of the government’s nonchalance or failure to implement policies to
support them. A warped perception of the real problems facing the indigenes!
Indeed, happenings in South
Africa since the ANC took over governance show that the country is falling into
the cauldron of mismanagement, incompetence, and murderous deception and
trickery, chicanery, and treachery that is the pattern of deplorable governance
prevalent on the African continent. In that sense, we can say that South Africa
is declining because the ANC government hasn’t been able to solve problems.
The high-sounding rhetoric that
paved the way for the ANC to topple the racist National Party of the Apartheid
network has only one consequence: running in place, not really making any
progress to fulfill the aspirations of the vast majority of South Africans. The
Inkatha Freedom Party of Chief Buthelezi isn't as much the main challenge for
the ANC as the ANC is for itself: Julius Malema's exit to form his own party to
challenge the status quo is an indication that the ANC is tottering.
Add the agitations within COSATU
and many other labour-related problems and you can predict a bleak future for
the country, especially if the "hegemonistic tendencies" of the
current administration trend up. When we see things of this sort coming down
the pike in South Africa, we can't fail to foresee a gloomy future. So much
anger is piling up in the citizens that they need only a poke of the finger to
explode into what is now rocking the country against immigrants.
The causes of such waywardness
and misplaced vengeance can be traced to the inadequacies of the ANC-led
administration that have their foundation in the objective reality of the kind
of politics going on in the country.
Under Nelson Mandela, the main
pre-occupation was national unity and reconciliation for a stable South Africa.
Of course, that pre-occupation was imperative because of the exigencies of the
time. Bring in Thabo Mbeki and hopes of economic progress begin to evaporate.
Faced with serious crisis at many fronts (especially agitations by the citizens
for policies that would improve living conditions), Mbeki’s administration
wobbled and hobbled till the internal crisis pushed him out of office for Jacob
Zumah to bounce back into contention.
Under him, South Africa remains a
country but one that is neither trending up nor down. Marking time? Add Zumah’s
personal inclinations verging on corruption and the systemic weaknesses to all
the problems rocking the country and you should cringe.
South Africa remains a giant in
Africa but is gradually sliding toward the precipice. Unsurprisingly, then, the
citizens will become apprehensive and choose immigrants as targets to hit in a
mistaken belief that they will be tackling a major factor militating against
their self-worth. Pathetic.
The rapid nature of the
xenophobic attacks is troubling. It seems such attacks had been long in
planning and execution. It can’t be dismissed as “spontaneous”. I have serious
doubts that those attacking the immigrants are doing so
on-the-spur-of-the-moment. It is a well-organized and well-co-ordinated
activity that should be condemned.
South Africa under the ANC is
what it is today because of the massive support of outsiders. Had outsiders not
lent massive support to the ANC and its freedom-fighting agenda, the residual
Boer elements would still have been in power to continue perpetrating their
obnoxious Apartheid system. So, why should immigrants from countries that
sacrificed their lot for South Africa to be in the hands of the majority
African (I hate to use the word “black”) segment of the population to be in
power suffer this way?
Although the latest news reports
have it that 300 people have been arrested in connection with the violence
against immigrants, the situation remains critical.
We have been told that four
Ghanaians are among those killed. Although the South African High Commissioner
in Ghana has denied that one of them (Emmanuel Quarcoo) was not killed in a
xenophobic attack), the truth stands that what is happening in South Africa is
disgraceful. Fears of reprisal attacks on South African nationals or property
exist, but nothing has happened so far.
We may continue to blame the
South Africans carrying out such violent acts; but we should also be honest to
ourselves to acknowledge that the emigration of Ghanaians (and other Africans
caught in the wave of xenophobic attacks) to South Africa is the direct upshot
of the failure of the various governments to create the congenial atmosphere to
retain them at home so they can serve their countries.
These governments have virtually
plunged the countries into chaos and improved conditions for the brain drain.
Should they do the right thing, the people will have no need to risk their
lives, emigrating to other countries and being chosen for this kind of
xenophobic violence.
In our Ghanaian situation
particularly, we must be bold to say that Ghanaians are always on the move,
looking for any sign of “green pasture” anywhere to gravitate toward. They have
virtually lost faith in their own system and are more willing to go as the wind
blows than staying put at home to be reduced to nothingness.
Will our leaders learn any useful
lesson from the xenophobic violence in South Africa and other countries (Libya
on my mind) to do the right thing so the citizens can stay home to offer their
lot toward nation-building?
I shall return…
·
E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
·
Join
me on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/mjkbokor to
continue the conversation.
No comments:
Post a Comment