Mob Nation

For the first time since the end of Apartheid in the early 1990s, the South African army has been called on by the President, Thabo Mbeki, to help police quell the violence against foreigners erupting in the larger townships and shanty towns of the country. For about 10 days now, mobs have assaulted suspected foreigners, burned their homes and looted their businesses. Forty-two people have been killed and nearly 27,000 people have been displaced. I have kept myself as up-to-date as possible on the available news around the disturbances, but no one knows if it will end soon or continue to spread.

All indicators point to a breaking point of anger and frustration of the majority of South Africans that live in squalor and tin shacks and who have not benefited from the democratic government of the past 14 years. They are venting this rage at their settlement neighbors, refugees and immigrants from African countries such as Mozambique, Malawi, Somalia and Zimbabwe, feeling threatened that they are taking the few jobs that exist and that they are sources of crime. The additional tragedy is that these foreigners are desperate and poor as well and now they must deal with the second trauma of being terrorized here after leaving their homeland.

Just so you know, I am safe and have a safe lifestyle. Since September of 2007, I have been living with an Afrikaans family in the nicest area of Bethal, a quiet residential neighborhood. I have been fortunate to have a loving family include me as a family member and care for me as one of their own. I also have learned a lot about dealing with safety and security issues in South Africa.

My friends and host family have been making inquiries with our friends in Emzinoni (the township) to determine if violent incidents have occurred there yet. There is talk of church leaders from Bethal and Emzinoni meeting this coming week to fortify the community support for each other. I am told we do have a large number of foreigners in Emzinoni.

It is sad to be an observer of this violence although I’m not entirely surprised by it. It seems inevitable that the patience that poor black South Africans have displayed for so long would finally burst with frustration. Unemployment is easily 40%-50%. Food prices for basics and coal (used for fuel) have recently skyrocketed. HIV infections are still escalating and AIDs deaths leave families in chaos.

South Africa prides itself on its unity as the “rainbow nation.” Nelson Mandela overcame unimaginable obstacles to be released from prison after 27 years and with the support from the majority of South Africans, managed to steer the country from civil war and into an era of hope and confidence. Currently, it seems there is disillusionment and cynicism everywhere. Yet, I truly believe South Africa will overcome this bump in the road to creep forward towards the well-being of all its citizens. They have sacrificed so much already not to.