Selah's Journal: Oh South Africa! Who Hath Bewitched You?

April 22, 2015

Local media alleged that the [South African Xenophobic] attacks were a consequence of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini reportedly saying at a recent gathering that foreigners “should pack their bags and go” because they are taking jobs from citizens.

Shortly after his reported comments, violence against immigrants erupted in the port city of Durban.

But on Monday, Zwelithini said he had not called for a war on immigrants. “This war I am calling for today is to protect everyone of foreign origin in this country irrespective of which country they are from.”

The United Nations said the attacks actually began in March after a labor dispute between citizens and foreign workers.” – CNN

xenophobia — Auto shop owned by Nigerians set on fire

My heart sunk as I watched (on social media) a young girl being lynched. She raised her hand and tried to beg the marauders to stop but even her hand was hit by the violent blow of whatever instrument was hitting her. She didn’t steal, she didn’t kill, she wasn’t even a prostitute (Not like any should have warranted taken the the law into one’s hand), her crime was being a foreigner in South Africa!

“Oh foolish South Africans! Who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?! …Have you suffered so many things in vain — If indeed it was vain?!’ (Gal 3:1 & 4 [paraphrasing])

If one man who fought courageously went to jail for 27 years and you didn’t turn to savages and launched this xenophobic attack on those who brought apartheid to your country, why do it against those who fought side by side with you? Or have you forgotten so soon?

Oh foolish South Africans! Who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?! …Have you suffered so many things in vain — If indeed it was vain?!” — (Gal 3:1 & 4 [paraphrasing])

Do you not remember Sunny Okosun (Nigeria; 1977), Lucky Dube, Miriam Makemba, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Brenda Fassie, Youssou N’dour (Senegal), Sipho, and even Stevie Wonder. I look at you now amidst all the perverted music and ideologies and wonder what Mandela and the rest of these people think!

Africa is Africa! South, East, west or north. Why this kamikaze? Are we now a land devouring its inhabitants? If you look closely, you will see that this is still a fragment of apartheid, only this time it is against the same race!

I commend the South Africans who have spoken and are still speaking against this crime (against humanity) but I feel the South African government is not aggressive enough in the measures that have been taken to tackle this issue and I use this medium to appeal to the government to look into this more critically. The traditional ruler who allegedly initiated this attack with his speech, what has been done in order to investigate or bring him to book? You can’t continue to cut the tree from the branch and expect it to fall. President Zuma needs to do more than just condemn the act.

-Written by Alex Amos

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