Xenophobia as being carried out by the Black South Africans is an undeserved insults to the sensibilities of the Africans, and advocacy groups and Nations across the globe that in the past pooled both human, defense and economic resources bankrolling the African National Congress, ANC, led anti-apartheid struggles against the white Afrikaners’ supremacist economy and anti-social leanings then making lives unbearable for the Black South Africans. It could be recalled that when South African blacks were been harshly persecuted and oppressed under the White Afrikaners racist apartheid rule Nigeria and other African nations and Black diasporas were at the vanguard of the anti-apartheid policy and rule until the Western powers and institutions supporting the White minority rule were beaten down. Thus, they saw reasons and joined forces with the Africans and advocacy groups around the world and it led to the politically concocted trifling end of apartheid policy. Getting to this level and the eventual democracy in South Africa cost huge human and material resources of the concerned nations mostly led by Nigeria just to give the Black South Africans voice and respect for their human dignity.
The South African Black nationalists also suffered unspeakable oppressions, including mass killings, detentions, maiming’s, martyrdoms, resource depletions, exiles, etc. All these happened to get the Africa humanity rising for good. Thus, it is regrettable that the same black beneficiaries of the All African Congress, ANC led South African nationalism struggles bankrolled and supported by their African brethren and nations are the one committing xenophobic crimes and killings against their same saviour-brethren and nations for no genuine cause other than transferred aggression. The South African blacks, has suffered personality distortions making them underestimating their Africa values and worth, to the extent that their relationship with their African brethren was anything but unhealthy because they live debased thinking they are more superior.
On this note, if the motive leading to the formation of ANC as summarized in its website is that “The ANC is a national liberation movement. ……….formed in 1912 to unite the African people and spearhead the struggle for fundamental political, social and economic change. ….. ANC’s key objective is the creation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society. This means the liberation of Africans in particular and black people in general from political and economic bondage. It means uplifting the quality of life of all South Africans, especially the poor”. Then South African blacks are far from being liberated!
However, despite that Black Africans have been in power for two decades plus, today South Africa is far from having the above attributes as projected by ANC in its guiding philosophy. And there is no hope of attaining that enviable height if the today’s anti-social lives and non-inclusive economy of South Africa remains untouchable and unrefined for popular good. Then, South Africans need to give-up celebration of independence mortgaged and estranged; to begin a new beginning African centred Nationalism that would be all accommodating and embracing, which xenophobia is not part of it. Xenophobia in South Africa is a misplacement of priority and transfers of aggression and anger to the non-deserving other African nationals in South Africa.
The ongoing anti-immigrant violence in South Africa receiving condemnation all over the world has with time and going by its reoccurring frequencies and massive looting of peoples sweats plus attendant killings fellow Africans and Asians dating to 1998 receiving the tacit sanction and backing of the South African state while the South African police are failing to protect the victims of the xenophobia become a cheap resort and unholy transfer of anger by the Black South Africans targeted at the non-Black South Africans and people of Colour in South Africa.
The present xenophobic dastard killings and lootings has been traced to a few weeks ago call by the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini on foreigners to pack their bags and go back to their respective countries. This, without hesitation had sustained the confidence of the South Africans, as they trooped out on to the streets, killing African and Asian brothers and looting shops and destroying property owned by the immigrants.
It is noteworthy that while we condemned the South Africans over Afro-xenophobia, the culture of African seeing his fellow Africans settlers on African soil is likeable to how the Yoruba irredentists (respect to Yorubas of goodwill) are seeing and treating the Igbo in Lagos and other parts of Yoruba lands as exemplified by the Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu’s recent death threats to Igbo Nigerians that if they failed to vote for his choice Lagos Governorship candidate during the recent 2015 election “they will all perish in the Lagoon (water)”. It is also at the backgrounds of the roots of the wanton killings of the Igbos and destructions of their property in other parts of Nigeria especially the Northern part; all because of their economic progress and investments. This is what the Islamist terrorist Boko Haram has come to compound while sparing no colour, belief nor tribe, including those who appeared indifferent to the yearlong destruction of the Igbos’ and their humanity.
Though, South African Foreign Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has done the talking declaring that: “We believe that working together we can defeat this demon”. The truth, however, lies in heeding the call by Malawian Information Minister, Kondwani Nankhumwa, on South Africa to provide greater protection for immigrants, resonating demands from China, Nigeria and the African Union calling for an end to this racial mess, whether called xenophobia or Afro-phobia. While South Africa is free to play to the gallery protesting Nigeria’s diplomatic severance with South Africa leading to withdrawal of her High Commissioner to South Africa, they should see it as a laud statement protesting that we (Africans) invested a lot both human and economic wise including defence during the anti-apartheid struggle and do not deserve the xenophobic attacks and treatment from our South African brethren we suffered to liberate.
However, the moves by some African governments to evacuate their nationals from South Africa will not solve the periodic outbreaks of anti-immigrant violence which have been ongoing and ever-reoccurring in South Africa blamable on high unemployment; officially around 25 per cent which some economic experts say is really much higher, prevalent poverty and conspicuous income discriminations and disparities. These are traceable to economic inequalities between the White and Black South Africans caused by Pa. Nelson Mandela’s greed for power leading to his sabotage of the South African Nationalism when he went into negotiations with the Apartheid led White South Africa all alone, after his initial rejection of the offer rooting for ANC involvement and its unbanning.
For Nelson Mandela to be freed and be made 1st Black President of the post-apartheid South Africa, he signed-away three things that would have seen Black South Africa rising; and so the white racists South Africans kept its strangle-holds and control on the South Africa economy. What Mandela signed away are (a) Dismantling of the Apartheid South Africa Nuclear Power plant, (b) None Redistribution of the Illegally Acquired Lands seeing the Black South Africans living in ghettoes and poor areas, (c) None nationalization of the South African Economy and (d) Equality of Status i.e. forgiveness of the oppressive White minority abrasive acts without having them stopping their ever evolving anti-social acts. These all together has seen the minority white South Africans controlling the South African economy leaving the Black South Africans out in the cold now seeing the Black South Africans more deprived, jobless and unequal.
From the above analysis, it became obvious that what Nelson Mandela got for South Africa is the worst independence in history and the brunt of it all is inequality in South African nationality leading to poor literacy level, high unemployment and crimes, killer deceases, prevalent poverty and conspicuous income disparities that are now the bases of the xenophobia currently on in South Africa. Thus grossly, a misplaced priority in economy regain and balancing; making transfer of aggressions to the innocent immigrant blacks and peoples of colour in South Africa a trend, whereas the White South Africa are actually the ones monopolizing and manipulating the economy to the detriments of the poor black South Africans.
The African Nationalist Congress, ANC leaders like Oliver Mbeki denounced and called Mandela ‘coward’ for betraying and sabotaging the South African nationalism just to be made President. ANC leaders are aware of this, but are hard to come to terms explaining such to the great followership of ANC and South Africans that the man they crowned “Mandiba” and seen hero of the Apartheid South Africa struggle worldwide, honoured with Nobel Peace Prize by the same West that created and encouraged apartheid be revealed as the main enemy of South Africans and African nationalism. Until, we Africans come to terms choosing and celebrating our own heroes and not the Imperial Economic Hit Men, IEHM packaged and promoted by the West, and World Bank and International Monetary Funds, IMF and other imperial killer institutions as “Distinguished Leaders”, “Technocrats”, “Authority Figures”, “Egg-heads”, “Human Rights Heroes”, we shall not come to knowing what kills us and or, who is facing us behind the veil.
The West deemed it wise to transfer Nuclear power to apartheid South Africa, to stood White supremacist interest in Africa but through Mandela wanted and got it dismantled when South Africa leadership entered the hands of the Black Africans. Moreover, without the redistribution of the Apartheid made possible illegally acquired lands and the ill-appropriated economy nationalized and or, balanced there is no how badly disadvantaged Black South Africans could be economically empowered. These, all together, have putted the Black South Africans in grossly disadvantaged positions, politically, culturally and economically; making South African Independence worst of its kind in history.
I was not alone on this cause making case that it was Mandela who sabotaged South African nationalism and struggle just to become president and celebrated “hero of Apartheid struggle”; as designed by the West. Commenting on Mandela’s economic sabotage and killer nationalism because of his lust for power when the ignorant worldwide media and leaders were celebrating him at death, Greg Palast in his article “The Mandela Barbie” dated Friday, 13 December 2013 posted in Truthout said: “Seeing the writing on the wall (and envisioning their blood on the floor), the white-owned gold and diamond cartels, Anglo-American and DeBeers, backed by the World Bank, came to Mandela with a bargain: black Africans could have voting power . . . but not economic power.
“Mandela chose to shake hands with this devil and accept the continuation of economic apartheid. In return for safeguarding the diamond and gold interests and protecting white ownership of land, mines and businesses, he was allowed the presidency, or at least the office and title.
“It is a bargain that ate at Mandela’s heart. He was faced with the direct threat of an embargo of capital, and taking note of the beating endured by his Cuban allies over resource nationalization, Mandela swallowed the poison with a forced grin. Yes, a new South African black middle class has been handed a slice of the mineral pie, but that just changes the color of the hand holding the whip. In the end, all revolutions are about one thing: the 99% versus the 1%. Time and history can change the hue of the aristocrat, but not their greed, against which Mandela appeared nearly powerless”.
Be it here professed that South African Blacks must get it right that it was Mandela that failed them and not the Black immigrants. Until there begins a new enlightenment programs and full economic nationalism and liberalization in South Africa that will accommodate the Black South Africans including redistribution of the illegally acquired lands to enable Black South Africans even embracing unorganized and organized farming; there will not and never be an end and or, solution to the under-developed Black South African economy making rooms for the frequent social crises like xenophobia. The said underdevelopment, also accounts for the poor education literacy among the Black South Africans including menaces of the Acquired Immune-deficiency Syndrome, AIDs highly prevalent in South Africa.
From the looks of things, and events after the seemingly apartheid downfall in South Africa seeing the Black South Africans free but in chain, poorer and economically caged; one can say with certainty that South Africa independence has no African cultural identity and African economic and political power that is all embracing and humanity bound. It was an extension of apartheid economic slavery now with African imprimaturs hidden in veil of freedom given and withdrawn before the full moon without the South Africa blacks, African people and world knowing it. All we need in South Africa is a new beginning Pan African nationalism and humanism cause capable of delivering open-economy where no one is neither oppressed and economically estranged base on his nationality, colour and or belief but be allowed to live fulfilled.
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Humanocrat Mazi Okwudirichiukwu Okwuchiukwu, is a Pan Africanist, CEO, Centre For Research, Humanocracy, Traditional and Developmental Education, and Former National Coordinator, Concerned Youths of Nigeria, CYN. Email:okwuokwu@yahoo.com. Tel: 0803-555-9313
