Just My 2Kobo: South Africa! Xenophobic Attacks, Maka' Why

 Ngozi .G. Izuora

 

Being simply speech less is the reaction on the lips of many in relation to this subject matter. People have only but imagined, especially for us Nigerians in Nigeria we are disgusted by this reaction from South Africans for whatever reason why should you harm your fellow African not to even talk less of any one? What are the underlying issues from this outburst which reared its ugly head as far back as 2008? 

Prior to 1994, immigrants from elsewhere faced discriminationand even violence in South Africa, though much of that risk stemmed from the institutionalized racism of the time due to apartheid. After democratization in 1994, contrary to expectations, the incidence of xenophobia increased. Between 2000 and March 2008, at least 67 people died in what were identified as xenophobic attacks. In May 2008, a series of riots left 62 people dead; although 21 of those killed were South African citizens. The attacks were apparently motivated by xenophobia. In 2015, six years after yet another fracas? A nationwide spike in xenophobic attacks against immigrants in general prompted a number of foreign governments to begin repatriating their citizens. With every outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa, the refrain is the same: ‘The kwerekwere are stealing our jobs’. Shops are torched. Streets are barricaded. Tyres are set alight. People are stabbed, shot and burned to death. Mobs hound Somalis, Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis from their homes and businesses. “The claim that ‘foreigners’ are taking jobs from South Africans is an argument that is always made,” says Professor Loren Landau, director of the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS) at Wits University: “As if it justifies the killing.”

In the recent spate of violence, foreigners have, yet again, been forced to flee for safety. At least five people have died, shops have been looted and destroyed and the rainbow nation is facing a backlash from across the continent. But how many migrants actually work in South Africa? And what do they contribute to the economy? The Migrating for Work Research Consortium (MiWORC), an organisation that examined migration and its impact on the South African labour market, publications released last year states that as regards to low unemployment, international migrants in South Africa have much lower unemployment rates than others. This is unusual. In most other countries, international migrants tend to have higher unemployment rates than locals. South Africa’s unemployment data shows that 26.16% of “non-migrants” are unemployed and 32.51% of “domestic migrants” are unemployed. By comparison, only 14.68% of international migrants are unemployed. But while international migrants are less likely to be unemployed, most find themselves in positions of unstable, “precarious employment”, unable to access benefits or formal work contracts. International migrants in South Africa are more likely to take jobs that locals are not willing to do, or find work in the informal sector. This in itself is not strange as this largely plays out everywhere as employers prefer “cheap labour’’ What this portends according to the MiWORC research, 32.65% of international migrants are employed in the informal sector in South Africa compared to 16.57% of “non-migrants” and 17.97% of “domestic migrants”.

It is playing out this way because the informal sector offers the lowest entry cost into the labour market. The majority of international migrants also come from African countries which have large informal sectors, but have left their respective countries in search for the “so called greener pasture”, no matter what form it comes. The problem is deep rooted across Africa which is simply the rate of unemployment. A pan-African solution would go along way and make a wider impact in the long run. So the belief that international migrants dominate the informal sector is literally false. “As less than two out of 10 people who owned a business in the informal sector [in Johannesburg] were cross-border migrants.” Peberdy have also argued that international migrants play a positive role in South Africa. “The evidence shows that they contribute to South Africa and South Africans by providing jobs, paying rent, paying VAT and providing affordable and convenient goods.”The Observatory’s study found that 31% of the 618 international migrant traders interviewed rented properties from South Africans. Collectively they also employed 1,223 people, of which 503 were South Africans.

How did South Africa get to this point? South Africa is facing two crises simultaneously: the government has failed in delivering effective public services to the poor, while the economy is in a slump with job losses in the private sector and increasingly in the public sector. The economy gets worse, poor blacks and African immigrants compete for scarce resources at the township level. African immigrants are likely to be better educated and more resourceful than locals – and the local response has been to turn to violence to stamp out the competition. This obviously is not the way to go as meting out so much cruelty and hostility is unacceptable to us Nigerians. The failure of leadership cuts across as the underlying factor a leadership not acknowledging and facing up to underlying societal problems is a big contributing factor. As the xenophobic violence spreads like wild fire, instead of reacting proactively and sending in the army to the affected communities, the government remained stuck in denial, leaders claimed it was not xenophobic and was made up of “isolated” incidents. Here we are April 2015, the xenophobic attacks spread to Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city. Locals were reportedly looting foreigners properties and attacking immigrants in general, forcing hundreds of migrants to relocate to police stations across the country. The Malawi authorities subsequently began repatriating their nationals, and a number of other foreign governments also announced that they would evacuate their citizens. As of April 19, at least six people have been killed in the attacks, and more than 300 people have been arrested.

Is the Nigerian Government going to extend their condolence for lives of those already lost rather than take up diplomatic actions? Who are we to indulge? The response from The African Union (AU) on Thursday in Addis Abba on the xenophobic attacks on foreigners as being unacceptable is not sufficient in itself. I agree with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Chairperson, AU Commission, who said in a statement that “whatever the challenges we may be facing, no circumstances justify attacks on people whether foreigners or locals.”

As a continent what then is our unifying factor? May 25 is always set aside for the celebration of the African Freedom Day. "On 25 May we remember the founding of the Organization of African Unity, which played such a critical role in mobilizinginternational solidarity to end apartheid. What are we to celebrate amidst this hate exhibited across borders? “The challenges faced by South Africa—poverty and unemployment, are challenges faced by all countries on the continent. What we see playing out in bits and pieces is simply the consistent deprivation from the basic needs of life. This is not a peculiar situation for South African youths, Nigerian’s also share in this;but resulting to violence is never the way to go…South African youths we besiege you to stop the senseless transfer of frustrations because we all have a fair share. Instead let’s arise and unite against leaders who have benefited from the system and get into authority just to make murder the remains. Let’s unite against the series of bad leadership across the continent we say no to these frustrations. #AfricanYouthsUnite

We insist that working together to address the challenges and building a better future for all Africans is indeed of immediate concern. But this can only begin across the globe if we have leaders who would never be afraid to raise their voices genuinely against injustice and lying and greed. Leaders who make sure that the scarce resources are put to maximum use to the benefit of dignity of life for all.

@Nizuora

Ngozi Izuora is a Lawyer, Women Rights Activist, a strong believer in the future of the Nigerian Child. She presently work as Program Officer Gender/Governance at African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD).