XENOPHOBIA LEAVE OR DIE!

Horrific pictures of a man burning whilst residents of Ramaphosa squatter camp in Reiger Park on Gauteng's East Rand in South Africa, laugh and jeer, bring home South Africa's newest crisis, Xenophobia Leave or die! A concrete block lies a short distance away from another victim and is covered in the mans blood. Local Policemen managed to extinguish the flames, but the victim died in hospital later that evening.

Xenophobic attacks reached headlines some two weeks ago whilst South African President Thabo Mbeki was abroad and to date, some 25 000 people have been displaced and a further 56 murdered. 500 people have been arrested and one perpetrator, arrested earlier last week, stated categorically for an SABC news report, this will not stop, foreigners must go home!

It is not new that people living on the African continent, resort to horrific acts of violence when angry or frustrated, and prior to black South Africans receiving freedom in 1994, the act of necklacing, placing a tyre around the neck of ones victim, pouring petrol into the tyre and burning the victim, was a common occurrence and often related to tribal disputes or disputes over non allegiance to political parties. These attacks were commonly carried out under frenzied mob conditions.

Faction fighting too has been seen in various African countries throughout history, with Rwanda's Hutu's and Tutsi's, one of the the most publicized cases. South Africa's current state president, Thabo Mbeki comes from the Xhosa people whilst Jacob Zuma, now president of the ANC and a popular contender for the South African presidency, is a Zulu. Zuma is currently under investigation and standing trial for his alleged involvement in an illegal arms deal and there are those who believe that should current president, Mbeki, lose credibility, he may be ousted or forced to resign rendering Zuma the opportunity to accept the South African Presidency before the outcome of his trial This, the third force theory, alleges that the attacks are aimed at placing emphasis on President Mbeki's weak Foreign Policy and organized by a sinister political counter party.

At best, locals and residents of the affected areas insist that foreigners should go home so that South African Citizens will have work and housing and complain that foreigners sell their labour for minimal wages, creating too competitive a labour market and begrudging SA citizens the opportunity to earn a living wage.

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