The Shame of South Africa

Every time I hear about terrible things that happen in Africa I probably naively think to myself that at least South Africa is sorted out now. At least Apartheid is over and the power has shifted back to the blacks where it belongs without too much bloodshed or economical disruption like in Zimbabwe. In fact things in South Africa have started to look very positive lately. I presume they are dealing with the AIDS epidemic or have managed at least to sweep it under the carpet whilst the world concentrates on other things.

The last time I saw South Africa on the TV was in fact when the South African Airways Open was played at a stunning location on the coast. Fabulous! Then I saw the news yesterday and I started to get angry. I am just old enough to remember the news coverage of riots during apartheid and when apartheid was ended I think I was hoping that I would never see riots in South Africa again. Mandela was released and became the countries leader and it looked like a nation of hope. It was a nation with a future and still is.

The problem with South Africa is that its leaders since Mandela have been conspicuous by their lack of willingness to criticise some of the regimes surrounding them. These regimes have displaced nations which has resulted millions or refugees in the region. South Africa swallowed most of these refugees and has allowed itself over time to develop a massive immigration problem with some estimates of up to 5 million illegal immigrants. Whilst this constant trickle of immigration seems to have suited everyone up until recently, the tides of opinion have changed recently though and as unemployment and rising food prices have hit South Africa as they have the rest of the world, its peoples' frustrations have been turned to severe violence against the immigrants.

It seems that rising food prices are something no government has planned for or taken into consideration in the formation of their general policies, least of all the UK, least of all South Africa. What I find difficult is that South Africa has a recent history of unspeakable violence and hardship. But it was a violence and hardship that it overcame to become what it is today. For the people of South Africa now to be committing violence against the weakest members of its society is an absolutely hypocritical thing for them to be doing. It is not that long ago that they themselves were being tortured and killed just for trying to make a better life for themselves, for trying to free themselves of tyranny and oppression.

These immigrants who are being persecuted are the people of South Africa 20 years ago. They are vulnerable and weak and all they want to do is get on with their lives. South Africa needs to remember where it comes from. It is the same nation that persevered against and eventually broke free from oppression. It is the same nation that flourished when everyone around the world predicted that it would collapse into chaos. Its leaders need find their voices and lead their people and set an example to the rest of Africa as it has done since Apartheid ended. It needs to do it because at the moment it is one of only a handful of countries in Africa which can say that it does represent the potential that the whole continent has to offer.