any schools of thought have termed the sudden outbreak of violent attacks by Black South Africans on fellow Africans xenophobia. In my view, it is worse. What is happening in South Africa is sheer terrorism. By willfully and gleefully attacking foreigners and basking in the resultant notoriety, they have shown to the world that they share a kindred spirit with ISIS and Boko Haram, what is different is their slogan. The government of South Africa is assuring the world that they are putting down the violence. They even announced on Tuesday April 21 that they would consider the military option should the situation call for it. I have no doubt that the military arm of the South African government can check this outbreak if called upon. However, no amount of violent force can erase the feeling of xenophobia in the minds of those South Africans. One wonders how these people fanned into a blazing flame a collective hatred towards their fellow Africans. South African xenophobia did not begin with the recent riot, in fact, it was the culmination of it. It has been allowed to fester over a long period of time. I am afraid it would remain and simmer long after this violence is over if nothing is done about it. If the South African government does not start a campaign of reorientation of the minds of her citizens, if there are no programs to enlighten the people and make them see the need to welcome foreigners into their midst, xenophobia would remain. Putting down the violence with force would just be mere window dressing. The perpetrators might change to the tactic of covert terrorist attacks towards foreigners, a situation the government would find even more difficult to handle.
In carrying out the campaign of reorientation, the government should co-opt the Zulu king, King Goodwill Zwelithini, whose careless comment was the catalyst to the recent terrorist attacks. He could be brought in for some reorientation himself, and then charged with the daunting task of "reprogramming" the minds of his people towards "outsiders." They should be made to understand that there are South Africans who are foreigners in other countries, and who expect and deserve to have their rights protected by their host countries. Also, they should be made to understand that foreigners are not taking their jobs. There is an equal playing field for jobs and businesses in the country and given that South Africa is a capitalist country, people are employed based on what they can produce. I do not believe that a company situated in South Africa would reject an applicant because he is South African and accept another applicant simply because he came from Mozambique. In fact, the reverse would sound more probable. In orientating the youths of South Africa, emphasis should be made on the values of good education and hard work. Begrudging the hard working Nigerian of his success in business cannot make the South African successful. Instead of seeing these foreigners as threats to their success, they could begin to see them as worthy competitors. They could learn a thing or two from them on how to be successful and put it into practice.
If a South African should set out on a race with other foreign nationals with the same drive and level playing ground, the odds would most probably favour the South African. For the fact that a person from outside his country arrives and becomes successful in five years where he has lived in poverty all his life says a great deal about the drive and attitude of this South African. What the South African youth needs at this moment is an introspective self-examination, not violent indignation. Driving foreigners from their country and destroying their businesses would not make them successful in business. If the right attitude is non-existent, they would fail woefully even if the businesses of these foreigners were handed over to them. The clueless cowherd who attacked the Ghanaian doctor for taking his job would not take up the stethoscop. (PerkyNews)
