The Xenophobia that has swept from Durban to Johannesburg and then on screens across the world has been nothing less than barbaric and unnecessary. It is a backlash of anger not necessarily at what foreigners have got, but at what unemployed South Africans have not got. If everyone was employed, these attacks would not have happened. They say the cause is due to foreigners “stealing South African jobs.” Stacey pointed out a graph recently released on the dadaviz website that challenges that severity of that…
So, of the South African population, 82% are working, as are 4% of international immigrants. The unemployment rate in this country is 26%, so really only 4% of those jobs have been lost to international migrants. These migrants have to try and find work, so many of them have become self-employed and are working in the informal sector. This is not stealing jobs or opportunities from South Africans. This is getting up every day and going to try and find a way of legally making money to put food on their tables. South Africans have the same opportunities.
The knock-on effect of these violent attacks is far reaching. The South African consulate in Lagos, Nigeria has had to be closed because of threats to the consulate staff. South Africans doing business in Mozambique and other neighbouring countries have also been threatened, insulted and stoned.
South Africa’s image abroad is also jeopardized. When you open the news media and see shocking photos spread across CNN and other major networks, it is nothing less than embarrassing. Most of them are too hard to look at and the video footage too gruesome to watch…
This violence is being caused by a small number of vehemently militant South Africans who have got too much time on their hands and nothing else to do. Instead of finding solutions to their problems, they incite hatred and anger towards hard-done by foreigners trying to make a life for themselves.
Not enough is being done to try and stem the unemployment rate in South Africa. There is too much corruption with millions of rands being misused by unscrupulous municipal departments resulting in bankruptcy and widespread growing unemployment. Who gets the blame? The foreigners.
The government is now doing something about the Xenophobia. They have been forced to. It has caused a massive spotlight to bring into sharp focus the gruesome truth about the lack of control in our rainbow nation. It’s embarrassing for them. First the army was deployed to the most violent areas. The latest is that MPs have been released from Parliament next week to focus on working in their communities. I hope it works in preventing future attacks.
Discussion about the treatment of foreigners is not new. It goes back thousands of years to when the people of God were in Egypt. They were put under a heavy yoke of slavery…used as labourers and worked very hard. When, after the great exodus out of Egypt, the law was given by God, He spelled out for His people how He expected them to treat foreigners. Leviticus 19:33-34
Those are timeless guidelines that we should adhere to today.
That’s the right way to live.
I’ve said to a number of people recently, “the world’s gone mad.” With all the unrest, disruption, barbaric murders and complete disregard for God and His Word, all I can remind myself of is that one day this will all be over. Eternal life awaits and that is going to be the best place ever! The best is yet to come.
Keep on keeping on.
In His Grip,
Helga xx