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If the government says this is crime, why are all the victims of this crime 'foreigners', and not white, Indian or black South Africans?

Ubunye bama Hostela Nezakhiwo Zawo (UbHNZ) condemns in the strongest possible terms the xenophobic attacks that are once again spreading across our country. We must remember that people who flee to South Africa, do so for good reason, because of wars, famine and persecution in their home countries. The conditions in these countries, some of which helped us fight the former racist government, are sometimes much worse than the conditions we suffered under apartheid. Our memories must not be so short that we forget the help we received from our ‘foreign’ friends.

We note with concern the looting of ‘foreign’-owned shops, some of which belong to Pakistanis, who, we wish to emphasise, have never been involved in the sale of illegal drugs – one of the reasons used by communities to justify xenophobic attacks. We must remember that 'foreigners' have played an important role in developing local businesses, opening cheap shops within our communities and saving us money on transport when we would previously have had to travel long distances to buy basic necessities. ‘Foreigners’ have created employment for many South Africans where our goverment has failed. We should be learning from their entrepreneurial skills to develop our own businesses, not killing those who have helped us put food on our tables. We must not be so small-minded and shortsighted that we cannot appreciate the benefits ‘foreigners’ have brought to our communities.

UbHNZ also wishes to emphasise that everyone living in South Africa has a right to earn a living and support their families without being victimized, discriminated against or killed. These are rights we fought apartheid for and which are now part of our constitution and apply to everyone within our borders.

UbHNZ also calls on government to give this violence its proper name - XENOPHOBIA - and not to hide the truth behind ordinary crime. We must ask what is the government’s agenda that they now blame crime and the drug whoonga / nyaope for these attacks, when our communities have cried out for government intervention against drugs and crime for years? To misinform the public and use communities' suffering, after ignoring these problems for so long, is dishonest and insulting.

While we acknowledge that some ‘foreigners’ are involved in crime, such as selling drugs, so too are many more fellow South Africans. Our police and courts must investigate and convict all criminals regardless of where they come from. If these xenophobic attacks are indeed motivated by criminals, as we are told, then government must explain to us what plans they have in place to address the problem, and they must be implemented quickly before more people are killed.

We have heard many allegations regarding border officials involved in corruption. The Department of Home Affairs has also failed to prevent international criminal gangs from entering our county. If our government is serious about addressing xenophobia they must take steps to deal with problems such as these that fuel anti-‘foreigner’ attitudes, and ensure everyone entering our country is properly processed – without fear or favour.

UbHNZ has noted with concern the government's continued failure to address xenophobia, so we call on all political parties to unite and work together to educate, build community unity and improve relations between ‘foreigners’ and local communities.

As hostel dwellers we admit that previously, some of our community members have been involved in xenophobic violence. We must be transparent about these incidents and admit past mistakes if we are to move forward. During attacks in uMbilo on Nigerians and Tanzanians by Dalton Hostel residents in 2008/9, UbHNZ leaders opposed this violence. We risked our own lives to provide shelter to ‘foreigners’, hiding up to nine people in our small rooms, when members of our own community threatened to kill them and us. We spoke out loudly against xenophobia and initiated community-building workshops to encourage better cultural understanding and tolerance. The government however, failed to support these initiatives, just as they have failed again to improve inter-community relationships and stop the recurrence of xenophobia.

UbHNZ also noted recently how local government and the eThekwini Municipality failed to address the so called 'Whoonga Wars' which could easily have sparked xenophobia, and chose instead to attract publicity with expensive anti-drug programme launches which failed to get off the ground and certainly have not resolved the whoonga crisis. At no stage did the government consult the affected communities to work out a plan that would benefit everyone.

As hostel dwellers, we understand the hardships that poor communities suffer and understand it is easy to take out our problems and frustrations on those who are of different cultures - people who we can blame when we should be blaming the government. But this is not the way to improve our lives. We must learn from past lessons and be aware that all these social problems - unemployment, crime, poverty, drugs, violence against women, political killings, even the wars within the taxi industry, have got much worse since 1994. ‘Foreigners’, who only started coming to South Africa in the last ten years or so, can therefore not be blamed for the problems our government has clearly failed to address for over twenty years.

If a patient is sick, a doctor must examine the patient to discover what is causing the illness. Likewise our government must consult our communities to discover the causes of the xenophobia so we can work on solutions together. To diagnose a patient wrongly - by telling us that xenophobia is just crime - will only lead to greater sickness within our communities.

UbHNZ appeals for tolerance and greater understanding between communities and ‘foreigners’ and urges all hostel dwellers to reject xenophobia and support and protect our brothers and sisters from wherever they may be. UbHNZ, starting with the Dalton Hostel community, will be reaching out to local ‘foreign’ business owners to prevent a repeat of the xenophobic violence that divided our community seven years ago. We challenge all South Africans to do the same.

UbHNZ sends sincerest condolences to all who have lost their lives and livelihoods in this senseless violence called xenophobia.

For more information please contact:
Mthembiseni Thusi: Ubunye bama Hostela Nezakhiwo Zawo Deputy Chairperson / Spokesman:
0810218608 / 0738894385