A wave of xenophobic attacks on
African immigrants claimed the lives of many immigrants in South Africa. Angry
men equipped with machetes, knives and other sharp devices targeted and
attacked businesses owned by foreigners, specifically immigrants from the rest
of the continent. What started in the locations outside Durban area soon spread
like a wild fire into other regions of the country. The affected refugees
suffered harshly but absurdly at the hands of fellow Africans. The properties
of African immigrants -who were struggling to make ends meet- were looted and
immigrants savagely beaten to death and in other cases burnt alive. To add
insult to injury, the horrific scenes of mob-killings were recorded and then
posted on the Internet, without little remorse.
Migrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique,
Malawi, Somalia and Ethiopia are reported to have paid the highest price in
financial and human losses. Police were accused in their failure to protect the
targeted marginalized immigrants amid intensified xenophobic raids in South
Africa.
Somali Immigrants in South Africa
Aftermath the internal conflict
that destroyed the once strong and proud African country of Somalia, millions
of its people fled to every corner of the world. The vast majority of these
refugees crossed the border and sought refuge in Ethiopia and Kenya. Many
others crossed the Gulf of Aden and went to Yemen and beyond. Consequently, you
can find a sizable Somali Diaspora community in Middle East, most of the Western
Europe and North America as well.
As Somalis are business-minded
people and do have remarkable entrepreneurial skills, they have made visible
contributions to the economies of some of the hosting countries, mainly in the
East African ones. This is quite true in Nairobi, Kenya, where an active Somali
community further rejuvenated the local economy. This investment is obviously
visible in Eastliegh, often dubbed as “little Mogadishu” for Somalis turned it
into an economic hub where diversified goods and services, destined to
different parts of the region, are traded at competitive prices.
Some of the Somali refugees made
their way to South Africa where they thought to be a safe haven. Hence,
thousands of them, fleeing from the fighting in their homeland and seeking
better economic opportunities, headed there, hoping to find jobs and better
living conditions. They established small businesses in the neighbourhoods
mainly dominated by citizens of low-income. However, instead of getting the
much-dreamt better living conditions, some of them who invested in small
businesses only to find themselves massacred one after another, often in a
brutal manner.
Before the current xenophobic
attacks aiming at fellow Africans, Somalis in South Africa suffered from series
of similar and organized raids for the past ten years. There were however, some
very barbaric murders which went down into the history books, with the ugliest
memories. These sparked off public outcry, at least in the social media outlets
where the issue was utterly discussed. Many people will not forget the story of
Abdinasir Mahmoud Good, a 25 year –old Somali businessman who was stoned to
death by a mob in 2014. He was mob-killed and lynched to death.
The brutal killing of the late Abdinasir was preceded by another equally
disgusting crime where a nine-month pregnant Somali mother was raped and then
killed in Cape Town. Surprisingly, both acts were not isolated cases but just
reveal the pain and panic that many African immigrants, including the Somalis were
going through for many years. To make matters worse, these chauvinistic raids
are taking place in a country that many African countries not only solidly
stand behind their struggle during the apartheid period, but also contributed
immensely to their liberation.
It is a well-known and documented fact that Somalia was among the
African countries that stood beside the people of South Africa in their hour of
need. The then Somali government did not only provide diplomatic support to ANC
but provided technical and military training to help end the apartheid regime.
Unfortunately, it is pity that the same South Africans, for which other
Africans sacrificed a lot and whose people they were always ready to welcome
and host as exiles, could be so ungrateful.
Finally, it is a high time for the government and people of South Africa
to intervene and stop the ongoing xenophobic attacks and immediately restore
their already distorted regional and international reputation.
Abdirahman Adan Mohamoud
