Xenophobia Attacks in SA (Picures are taken from BBC News Website)

[David John Long]

This has been building up in SA since about last week, locals are attacking mostly black forgieners, mostly from Moz and Zim. Saying that they are to blame for the crime and for the unemployment, etc, etc. The count last time I checked was between 20 - 25 people that had died from this violence. This includes women and children. The following article is what the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) had to say.

And let me just say that the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) has got a big brass set of........

Govt blamed for attacks
20/05/2008 17:20  - (SA) 

Johannesburg - The rising tide of xenophobic violence in the Gauteng province was a direct response to policy failures by President Thabo Mbeki's government, the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said on Tuesday.

In a scathing indictment on Mbeki's last 10 years of rule, the institute listed crime, inadequate border control, unemployment, education and corruption as some of the key areas where government had failed.

"... poor and ineffective governance had created a tinder box of unmet expectations which exploded in Alexandra and has now spread to several other areas.

"Essentially these failures contributed to create a perfect storm of lawlessness, poverty, and unfulfilled expectations which has now erupted into violence," the SAIRR said in a statement.

It said government's failure to bring the high levels of violent crime under control contributed to an environment where people resorted "to violence without fear of arrest or successful prosecution".

"In failing to maintain the rule of law the state had conditioned many poor communities to violent behaviour," it said.

Warnings 'ignored'

Incompetence in the safety and security ministry and corruption in the police as well as affirmative action had diminished the capacity of the police to ensure a safe environment in the country.

"Warnings to this effect from a variety of sources had been largely ignored or treated with arrogance and contempt from the office of the minister of safety and security downwards.

"That not a single minister or deputy minister responsible for law and order, justice, or prisons was dismissed over close on 10 years of Thabo Mbeki's presidency suggests that the government was either unable to identify the risks presented by lawlessness or had resigned itself to the consequences."

The collapse of border control mechanisms caused millions to enter the country illegally, and poor policy decisions contributed to the large illegal population in the country.

"Without adequate legal standing in the community these people became easy or soft targets for mob violence. The police's own heavy-handed raids on illegal immigrants further created the impression that they were fair game in South Africa."

Unemployment was also a direct contributing cause of the violence, the SAIRR said.

Education was cited as "government's biggest failure" and was also to blame for the high unemployment rates.

'Inappropriate and incompetent'

"Only one percent of black matriculants achieve a good HG (higher grade) maths pass. The output of the school education system was therefore far from adequate to free households from state dependency or to acquire the skills necessary to find employment in a heavily regulated labour market.

"The education system is a good example where policy failures in one area compounded those in another. In this case poor education compounded the inappropriate labour market policy which in turn compounded the unemployment problem."

The institute further described government's policy on Zimbabwe as "wholly inappropriate and incompetent".



www.news24.co.za

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

Now the world has to explain APARTHEID to me all over agian!

Is this not apartheid?

The friggen hated word does not have a colour of skin linked to it, but is is misused for deliberate purposes for own gain.  These pictures do not even shock me anymore  -  is that normal?  No!  I do not even get upset by seeing things like this anymore and you know why?  Because I get so furious about it.  We can air opinions and discuss this again like we did in the Zim topic, but what the hell is that going to help? 

[SandyB]

At least we can vent it .. I was watching early morning TV .. Its  now  " Africa Week "  and  the good  folk must selubrate .. celebrate what ?/  the  african renniiesance ?/ anyhow  presenter  Lee  asks about the xenophopbic acts .. the dark gentleman proceeds to say that the media is blowing it all out of  proportion  and anyhhow its  a  hangover from  the aparthate  years ?? what  was  this  celebrating gentleman smoking?? to blame what is happening  now on the apartheid era ?? F....k they the politicians  have promoted  lawlessness  by  their actions .. I see the honourable JZ is now  upset that the mobs are using his bring  me  my  machine gun  song ..? what  else  does  the  showerhead  think .. after  rousing  all  the  mindless rabble in  front  of  the courts with his  well  orchestrated  " shows of support" by  uneducated rabble and Zulu women that even said they would  want to sleep with  him the rapist that he is .. its only  lawyering  and intimidation that got him  off ..  so  yes  the tony yengenis  carried  on  the  shoulders of  their ' comrades ' to jail , the travelgate  crooks  that still have   positions in  parlaiment ??  our  short of  stature  and diminished  conscience  president  who  protects crooks ,despots and  drunkards ??   This  wise  man  wants to  set up  comitees  to  find  out  who  where  and  why .. Is  he  frigging  blind ??  what sort of message have they  sent out ..that apart  from  all the other  bungles .. the  institute of  race  relation  for  whom  my  mom  worked down  here in Ct  gave  a  good  rundown of  the whole debacle .. and  it  sits  firmly on  the  Governments  doorstep  .. Oh and  talking about  steps ..  heres a good attempt at  sidestep ..   Hon  Min Pahad  says  its  a  " sinister 3rd force"   to  blame ... well even  if  a   s 3 f took advantage  of the mess they created .. they still to  blame .. If they had looked  after  their country  instead of plundering it ,, even colonialists  .. sure they took  ..  but they   built  infrastructure  and there was a sense of  order ..  they  added  some  value .. in afrikaans i will say it  cos  it  only  sounds  right  in   the  taal  " hulle is 'n klomp  stroopers "  so  yes my heart bleeds for the foreigners that are being attacked ,, more so in the fact that many have fled tyranny to only now  face it again ..   more  so  that they  actually  want to  amke a living  and  are  really prepared to work ..  why are the  somali  shopkeepers  so successful ?/ cos they have  a  sense of community  and dont  try to  screw  each  other  over  .. they can  sell  at less  than their Xhosa  counterparts  cos  they  club together and buy in bulk  (  a co-op system )  and then sell  cheaper .. meanwhile our  locals  only try to  screw  each other over ..  dog eats dog ..  why do the foreigners get jobs .. why ?/ cos actually they prepared to work  and do not  feel  entituled .. ( excuse the  wide comb here  as there are also  many good souls about as well  that are honourable and do want  to  work but the  entituled   seems to  pervade more and more ) So yes  like the  Local who gets jealous of his wifes success  at  making  things happen and  breaks it  down  ( documented cases )  they  just  do the  same thing ..  compounding  it  all again is the long  list of  broken " promises" by the fatcat politicians ..  its a mess   a  bloody  mess   and  yes  Thabob  we do  need a committee  and  a  subcommittee to  find out  why ??  I am in a dark space with this happening ...

[Carl Wrbka]

Another one for the Illuminati. I had a long discussion with a couple of my black colleauges yesterday about this senseless violence. The belief among the educated blacks is that this whole Xenophobia issue was cleverly and deliberately planned by somebody high up. All it took was one gruesome well documented attack to start the avalanche.

I'm probably sticking my neck out a bit far here, but seen from a political perspective, look at who tends to gain from this and who tends to lose. Clue: They both belong to the ANC.

[SandyB]

No  you not ..   s3f  could  be  behind it  .. but  its  the neglect  of  government   that  set the  stage   its  been  a  brewing  for  years ..   My  guess ??   showerhead ...

[Carl Wrbka]

Good guess, Sandy. He was my prime suspect too.

[Michael Alexander]

The Zulu boy.... Africa ain't all doom and gloom folks...... it's just a moeroffa exciting place to live.......

[Michael Alexander]

I just saw on Enews that the attacks have just spread to Du Noon in Cape Town tonight...... apparently it's total chaos there tonight with locals targeting the foreigners......

[Chris Macpherson]

police helicopter flying over  while im posting this to you also police sirens and ambulances. du noon not far from me here. pretty scarey.

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

I'm hearing the same Chris......and they just down the road and round the corner.   I have just been looking at the Gauteng photo's on News 24, horrific. 

[SandyB]

My comment again .. i feel sad , rotten ... ashamed of what is going on in this country .. as you read my first posting  comments ..

I am the type of person  who  from small  felt for people .. i remember  when walking in the streets of CT as a young boy with my Mom .. I used to  cry when I saw  the pitiful state of some of the beggars .. and would ask my mom to help them .. she wisely told me  that we can only give out so much ..we after all work hard for what we get ..if we helped all we  would be in the same boat as them ..  soI  had  to  learn balance .. help where  feasible .. apply the  give  the man a fihing rod so that  he  can catch fish  instead of giving  him  a  fish  etc ..  I see the Zim  and other  foreign men selling  their wire work at  traffic  intersections .. some good some  junk .. if I see something good I buy  it .. keep it or   gift  it ..  what do some  of  these   people live  off ?/ fresh  air  and  hope ??  ..  we have  comfortable homes and  reasonable financial security .. they ahve their struggle from ady to day .. and now they are  being tossed out  maimed raped  burnt killed .. this country has indeed gone mad .. and  yes again our  " wise " leaders have a part in setting  the  stage  for  this  rotten  drama   that is  playing   itself out .. I  pray  for  sanity  to  return ...

[Bev Coates (Now Walker)]

oh my gosh..it must be terrifying for you thats near all this             ..to be honest i cant be arsed with polotics....dont think i can even spell it right lol......it sickens me to see these things it sickens me to see there is still poverty in most of africa when i should think i should be one of the richest countrys in the world with all the diamonds ect.....but all the wrong people get into power in all the countries... oh heck......after trying to type the next line 4 times and having had to re do it due to wrong spellings i feel either im not intelligent enough for this type on conversation.........or the free bar was a bad idea.. so not gona try say any more on this subject tonight .........hope everyone who is near these troubles is safe and although im still not a 100 per cent believer ....i will pray for you all e154

[Chris Macpherson]

these guys are still at it here. the police have moved the people to killarney racetrack about 1000m opposite me.its very close to us here police helicopters flying around us all the time and plenty police cars and ambulances going up and down as i am typing this ,.scary stuff.also happening inocean view[near kommetjie] and strand and kyalitsha.gun shot every so often. kids wanna sleep in tent on weekends but shit scared tonite. hey rhona nearly like belfast with ira snipers hey.??

[Rhona]

I.R.A   SNIPERS???? I don't think so

[Chris Macpherson]

hi rhona val here im chris wife here close to irs i thinks so never being there i am also irish but never being there or oranjemund but i am willing to join the  bot squid  with you diana dalene paula and michelle scary here at the moment with the shit going on they are so close to us