Cloudy Nation...as it rains on foreigners

I don’t intend to ‘government bash’…but they seem to leave me with little choice nowadays…what the hell are they doing as we watch our country descend into chaos…The xenophobia is out of hand and still I am sure someone would say ‘there is no crisis’. I am ashamed to be a South African today after reading The Star.

Our own people, with persecution still so fresh in their minds, seem to have no issues with beating [in some cases murdering]/raping and taking from foreign nationals. Some of which have been in this country for years. It seems that some people have been waiting to have a ‘shopping spree’ on the back of the hard work of others?!! What kind of person rationalises that in their heads? There are currently over 500 police in Alexandra township [a picture on the front page of The Star shows one shooting a live round!]. Don't we need the the police fighting crime..? It seems like a war zone with armored vehicles being the order of the day?!

Lets assess the root of the problem….the total lack of control and corruption that appears to exist amongst our border patrol [and our police, government and.. and.. and]. Perceptions are a dangerous thing and with the total lack of consistent communication or action from our government, the average South African I am sure formulates their own perceptions regarding what is happening by the very facts presented. Thank God for the media.

Thousands of people are getting through our borders from a desperate situation in a country run into the ground by a mad man. Instead of assisting the crisis by [acknowledging there actually is one] and creating refugee camps for these people [we could then feed people through international aid programmes], we are letting them through to fend for themselves in any way they see fit. It seems that those that are caught and ‘deported’ are back the next day! Most I am sure attempt to find work [and will probably work for less out of total desperation] and others I am sure turn to crime. I the meantime our president makes a statement that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe…wake up Mbeki the crisis has moved right into our country…but hey government doesn’t seem to care….Still no refugee status for Zimbos has been declared…there is almost an ostrich approach to this situation [and many others] that makes me think that our okes are either 2 busy squabbling over how much cash they can get their hands on, how much power they can get or how to dodge convictions by crying conspiracy to even worry about South Africans are taking the law into their own hands.

All it takes is one ‘clever’ to see a gap to create a mob mentality that is more frightening than anything because mobs don’t have a brain…What has happened in Alexandra is terrible. The message is clear, people are desperate, both foreigners and South Africans alike and there needs to be action and quickly to resolve the situation…we have a large dark cloud over our nation today...the rainbow has long since gone along with tolerance.

[UPDATE 14 May: Can you imagine being thrown out of your house that you have lived in and paid for for years and come back to find a lazy South African thief in it when you return telling you 'this is no longer your house'. That is happening in Alex at the moment. I cannot believe this kind of 'land repatriation' is happening to foreigners on our soil...next phase Sandton?]