OPINIONISTA: Gauteng violence has nothing to do with xenophobia

Listening to and looking at the footage on the “xenophobia attacks” in South Africa, I was struck by how much emotion is flying around with very little substance as to the root causes of this situation. In other words, I don’t see any real debate about the current realities and what could potentially have given rise to this unacceptable phenomenon.

South Africa has a history that is so intertwined with the continent that any suggestion that we are xenophobic is simply untrue. The uneven nature of opportunities in many African nations leads to people seeking out better opportunities in other countries. Many flock to South Africa in search of better conditions and better opportunities related to work and education. If opportunities were available in their own countries, we would not observe so much inward migration into South Africa.

In the US, the unemployment level hits a mere 8% and they clamour for a wall to separate them from the perceived threat, the Mexicans. They demand tighter border controls – draconian measures, where children are separated from their parents and incarcerated in different holding facilities. Why is it so difficult to accept these realities? To discuss them openly and candidly in order to find real and lasting solutions to the recurrent situation?

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