After several attacks of foreign nationals in South Africa since 2008 when this ugly incident started, 2019 attacks was the most condemned of all, our correspondence compiled some of the reactions that were captured by the headlines as posted below:
BLADE NZIMANDE- South African Minister of Higher Education:
African leaders need to ‘stop looting’ and look after their citizens
“African leaders must get their act together, such that they don’t disappoint their country and people have to leave.
“As SA we cannot absorb the result of all the problems that are made by leaders who want to loot their country and do not care about their own.”
Xenophobia description
“What often gets described as xenophobia is in part essentially these intra-class conflicts and competition for the same scarce resources.
“Often what parades as xenophobia is in part a reflection of community frustrations with the rising phenomenon of drug abuse and the role of both South Africans and foreign nationals in drug dealing.”
Mangosuthu Buthelezi – Founder and Immediate Past leader of IFP (INKANTA FREEDOM PARTY)
If anyone knows what our African brothers sacrificed for the sake of our struggle, it is I
If we turn our despair, our anger and frustration against our brothers, we will start a feud that can only end in tragedy
Cyril Ramaphosa – South Africa President:
Xenophobic attacks were a national shame and should not be repeated again
Naledi Pandor – South Africa Minsiter of Foreign Relations
The attacks are Afrophobia more even than xenophobia and didn’t just try to pass it off as mere criminality. And she acknowledged that has happened was embarrassing and shameful
Julius Malema, South African opposition politician
‘‘Our anger is directed at wrong people. Like all of us, our African brothers & sisters are selling their cheap labour for survival.’‘
You go around claiming this is your country, let’s go outside and show me papers that confirm that you are the owner of this country. There is nothing. You don’t own anything. Yet you call people foreigners. You are a foreigner yourself,” he exclaimed.
“The nerve of you renters”
Julius Malema ridiculed locals once more. He poked fun at the irony of locals who do not own land, yet have the gall to force foreign nationals to leave South Africa.
“You are renting. You are marching from the hostels, beating up people and telling them to leave South Africa, yet you do not own your own land. You are paying rent in that hostel, you can be removed yourself.
“You are telling people to leave your country, you come from an apartment, you come from a flat, you come from a house, you have no paper. When you get back home, after taking out Zimbabweans, the white man will be at the door showing you the way out,” Malema charged.
Bobi Wine, Ugandan lawmaker
‘‘Xenophobic attacks in South Africa are very sad, disheartening and disappointing. They must be condemned by all people of good conscience.’
2Baba, Nigerian musician
‘‘Xenophobia is a result of so many brainwashing things. We need proper African education and resetting of our thinking which should be the next main course of action after subduing this attacks or else it will happen again. Only SOLUTIONS will solve things in Africa now.’‘
John Dramani Mahama, ex-Ghana president
‘‘Clearly, and as I have said in the past, the perpetrators of these gruesome attacks are ignorant of the continental solidarity that was required to defeat apartheid and give birth to the new South African nation.’‘
Bola Babarinde – National Cairman APC South Africa Chapter:
Xenophobic hijacked by criminals within government and some elements in public, the leadership of South Africa should be blamed for not educating the ignorant citizens about cordial and blood relationship between SA and other African nations, their contribution to free SA from claws of oppressors (Apartheid), SA President should work with Paul Kegame and other African leaders on borderless Africa to quell the ugly culture of Afrophobic in SA and Africa at large.
