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Xenophobia in South Africa: What stoked the embers?

This African economic tiger is currently reeling under unprecedented battles that have threatened to lump it together with other African nations that have suffered image setback in the eyes of the world.

According to the latest reports, at least 60 people have been killed in the most gruesome manner, 23 of whom were Zimbabwean nationals, and more than 17,000 people have been displaced.

Violent attacks against foreign nationals began last month in Alexandra township in northern Johannesburg, and have quickly spread to many other areas including Cape Town, South Africa's tourist resort city. At the outset, it should be noted that these battles pitting locals and immigrants are being perpetuated by people who are at the bottom of the economic ladder.

To understand better the origin of the country's intolerance towards fellow African immigrants, let me take you back to the days of Apartheid. South Africa, popularly known as the 'rainbow country' due to its diverse cultures, is a country made up primarily of two major races. Whites and Blacks. Race subject with regards to South Africa is one intricate and sensitive topic that majority of people shy away from and would rather not talk about.

This is so because it evokes memories of the dark days of the Apartheid. I believe it would be safe to say that Apartheid played a role in the hostility of South Africans towards other African people. During the apartheid-era, isolation amongst Whites and Blacks was reinforced by physical separation through strict boundaries that prevented one race from interacting with another.

As a result, South Africans were not ready for the refugee and immigration influx that came after independence in 1994. I speak with authority here because I was once an 'immigrant' in South Africa. Having been born in Kenya, I undertook part of my university studies in South Africa and also had a chance to work there in my early forays as a journalist, in late 90's. Talk of xenophobia still reigned supreme but it was not as profound as it is now.

In fact, during those days, we used to be called 'kwerekweres', which is a derogatory term for foreigners. Am not exactly sure where the term originated from but some people said that when foreigners go to the townships and they cannot speak any of the local black languages, the sound of their babble sounds like 'kwerekwerekwere' to the locals. Others say that the term originated from 'quelea quelea' birds, the noisy, red-billed African weaver birds that have no known abode and keep migrating like foreigners.

Well, the underlying causes of xenophobia in South Africa have been varied and complex and it was just a time bomb waiting to explode. Whether political, social or historical, the South African government, which has deployed troops to support the police, is blaming a hidden hand in the spate of xenophobic attacks.

There have always been serious tensions between locals and foreigners, especially in the townships and informal settlements, and the unemployment and mounting poverty have provoked fears of the competition that better educated and experienced migrants present.

Political analysts attribute the xenophobic violence to a range of factors, including high unemployment among South Africans, porous borders, poverty, police and government corruption, ineffective service delivery and an inept foreign policy in regard to resolving Zimbabwe's political impasse.

But truth be told, South Africa would not be the centre for continental trade if it were not for the influence of the immigrants. The retail sector is expanding because of the large volume of continental customers arriving daily.

And therefore, this cheap reasoning that xenophobia has arisen because South Africans are losing jobs and economic opportunities to other Africans, is nothing but sheer hatred of immigrants. And should be discarded and treated with the contempt it deserves.

Joyce Njeri is a Sub Editor with Khaleej Times. She can be reached at joyce@khaleejtimes.com