IT is all easy to understand the fury and frustration from South Africa’s neighbours over the on-going pointless xenophobic violence and killings in that country.
And if not handled prudently, the slayings of foreigners and the violence has the potential of putting the entire Southern African region on fire, not to talk about other nations like Nigeria whose nationals have also become big victims of xenophobia.
It is hard to point out what is causing all these unnecessary killings of foreigners but some people have suggested that Pretoria’s inefficient service delivery system has suggestively triggered the socio-economic conflicts in South Africa.
Consequently, this has exposed Government’s inability to devotedly serve the people and we think that in the light of this, Pretoria can also share some blame for the xenophobic attacks.
Could be this is one of the huge reasons the South African government has not come out toughly to denounce the killings.
Some London residents who protested against the same killings yesterday marched to the South African High Commission with placards some which read “Ramaphosa, where are your balls”
Yesterday five people killed in attacks on foreigners in South Africa as Police fired rubber bullets and arrested 189 people in Alexandra amid rallies linked to anti-foreigner gush.
The situation in South Africa seems to be getting worse every day and far from being solved and now hence the livid reactions from Pretoria’s neighbours including Nigeria whose nationals took to the streets to vend their anger on the government of South Africa.
Students at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in Lusaka yesterday decided enough is enough and took to the streets to protest the xenophobic killings in South Africa.
They managed to force the closure of Lusaka’s Manda Hill, Arcades, East Park shopping centres which house some of South Africa’s giant chain shops such as Shoprite, Spar, Woolworths, Mr Price, Game, Ackerman, BBC1, and JETS to many but a few.
They later marched to the South African High Commission where they demanded to be addressed by the High Commissioner who refused to do so and this annoyed the students who set fire to sign post of the commission.
But police managed to put out the fire much to the annoyance of the students who ran amok and this forced the law enforcers to fire in the air to scare away the irate students.
The show ended up in police arresting eight students, among them president of Zambia National Students Union (ZANASU) Misheck Kakonde.
In Kazungula there were reports of Zambians descending on South African truck drivers in retaliation of xenophobic killings of their brother and sisters in South Africa.
In Nigeria there are reports of people burning down an MTN communication tower while Shoprite shops too came under fierce attacks by Nigerians.
We think all this is hardly necessary if the issue was given the attention it deserves by both the South African government and involved stakeholders.
Now that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appears to be waking from slumber because the situation is definitely getting uglier and vowing to clamp down on what he described as “acts of wanton violence”, that can be a good starting point.
We hear also that the African Union (AU) and Nigeria have similarly sounded the apprehension. This too is good because a lasting solution to these xenophobic killings and violence needs to be found and found fast.
