By Hicks Sikazwe
By expelling non-citizens from fellow African countries, now dubbed illegal immigrants, South Africa is ignoring a glazed past. The rainbow nation must admit that it has a difficult history, a past terribly troubling.
The birth of liberated South Africa in 1994 was a result, of collective help from mostly comrades within the continent. For example Zambia hosted the headquarters for the now governing party the African National Congress (ANC). Tanzania and others put together training camps.
Even when first President Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years prison period one of the first countries he visited was Zambia.
That is why many people in the continent are stunned that there is a campaign to expel fellow Africans using rising crime and run away unemployment as an excuse.
The rise of anti-immigration mobs that are beating and in some cases killing unsuspecting people should be a source of worry for a continent that badly needs unity and working together to survive the rigours of the current though global economy.
According to media reports, by last Tuesday, Nigeria and Ghana had evacuated at least 2000 nationals running away from xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Another hundred buses had within two days slipped people back home to Malawi. Several more have returned to Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has since reported that at least 900 people linked to the violence have been arrested. Nigeria, according to the BBC, has indicated that it will seek compensation for its fleeing citizens who have abandoned businesses in that country.
June 30th was the deadline set by anti-immigration mobs that have been protesting demanding that the government expels what they are calling illegal immigrants whom they have accused of having swallowed jobs depriving local communities.
Though the government has several times dismissed the deadline as unofficial, countrywide matches went ahead on Tuesday at least with police escort to curb possible vandalism and looting.
Prior to the protests, there were wide spread xenophobic attacks on non-South Africans most of whom were people from neighbouring countries. There have been a number of deaths recorded and injuries too.
The bone of contention by the protestors is that the government has not done enough to deal with undocumented immigrants whom they accused of being involved in rampant crime, including massive drug peddling.
In the Southern African region, South Africa has a much more buoyant economy that has attracted migration from neighbouring countries most of whose economies have not only been lean but in some of them poor governance has driven people away from the countries to look for greener pastures elsewhere.
So far there are no statistics to show how many jobs the immigrants have taken away from the South Africans to justify the recent harassment culminating into forced expulsions.
But many people that have visited South Africa and economic experts insist that most of the so called taken jobs are in the informal sector. At least 90percen of immigrants that are not documented are involved in menial jobs including vending in commodities.
Since most are not registered anywhere they have been exploited by doing even skilled jobs such as mechanics, brick laying, and electrical tasks on little pay. They have been used for cheap labour. In short they have contributed to building the flourishing economy there.
The American cable news network, CNN on Monday asked some fleeing Malawians who were kept at a transit centre in Johannesburg on why they did not get resident permits. Many of them said the permits were difficult to obtain because of rampant corruption within the system.
As a result the majority had sneaked in the country to get menial jobs to simply earn a form of living. Some of them got married. One of the fleeing men interviewed said he had left behind a wife and four children.
Again the government which had said it does not support the forced expulsions has committed to streamline documentation of people without papers.
The reaction to this by other countries in Africa is to get at South Africans and businesses from, Pretoria. Some of them have also begin to ask South Africans to leave. If the situation does not change the retaliatory actions will escalate.
However, the question many people are asking is who is behind those people who suddenly have risen to chase away fellow Africans? The Tuesday protests which they called peaceful matches were countrywide. Like the previous ones they appear not only to be well coordinated but neatly organized as well.
The government explanation has been that protests in South Africa are a constitutional right as long as those involved do not resort to violence or any form of hooliganism. Granted, but it is difficult to understand why authorities have simply not prevented both the xenophobic attacks and the forced expulsions
Note that even after independence in 1994 more than 80 percent of the South African economy has been in the hands of white people some of them from the settler origins. It is also difficult to understand why white and other non-African immigrants are not targeted. Without proper statistics, there is no evidence that indeed the so called illegal immigrants have taken any jobs at all. In any case these are in the minority and mostly unskilled lot.
Admittedly unemployment is high in South Africa but most experts argue that it has nothing to do with an influx of immigrants. It is very clear that one of the contributors to the country’s economy was manufacturing. Over the years, it has been decimated leaving many people without jobs.
Other sectors have been hit too, living the once strong economy struggling. It is with this background that it is difficult to think that the protesters are acting on their own.
What South African needs to do is to address the protracted inequalities between the settler community and locals that has over flowed from the apartheid days.
The economy is still in the hands of the minority, therefore a lot needs to be done to broaden the cake sharing so that the local populations can benefit as well.
South Africa is a country that was born out of help from neighbouring countries and beyond in the continent. If other countries had not helped out in the freedom struggle the fight for independence would have taken much longer. Those involved in protests today may have a poor grasp of history as to where the country came from but most leaders both in government and in poli6tical parties are aware.
It is not fair that the country can turn its back to such history, the form of history that cannot easily be erased. In any case, this global economy is interdependent. As Africans we have always depended on each other.
Even with the current problems South Africa has the resources to strengthen its institutions including the immigration department which is responsible for issuing permits. Pretoria must deal with the persistent accusations of rampant corruption in most government departments.
After the institutions have been strengthened it will be easier to deal with illegal immigrants and it will equally be easier to fight run away crime.
It is misleading to insist that all crimes are committed by immigrants. On the contrary, some of the most heinous crimes have been perpetrated by locals.
Is it not weak institutions that enable people to enter the country illegally, remain long enough to marry, and begin raising families?
What will happen if more countries begin expelling each other’s nationals on flimsy grounds? There will definitely be chaos. In normal circumstances if those protesters were genuine in dealing with illegal immigrants, they should have not selected their fellow Africans alone as targets.
Someone seems to be behind and prodding the groups to kick out illegal immigrants. Otherwise South Africa must pick up a mirror and check history just to verify where the country came from.
Hicks Sikazwe is author of Zambia’s Fall-back Presidents, Wasted Years, and Voters in Shadows. A former Deputy Editor in Chief of the Times of Zambia, he is currently Communications and Media Affairs Advocate based in Ndola. Comments 0955/0966929611 or hpsikazwe@gmail.com.
