Xenophobia: Monster in South Africa

Photo: Getty

 The Zulu monarch made a public statement in which he compared "foreigners" in South Africa to amazeze (lice) has chiefly been credited to the barbaric xenophobic violence in South Africa that cost great trouble to foreigners  from other parts of Africa or from South Asia.

South Africa's Equality Act allows for prosecution in cases of hate speech and incitement to violence but it appears this Zulu king is above the South African law. No clear move has been made for him to face the full wrath of the law. This appears even to be support from the Jacob Zuma administration which has been naive to the ugly development.

Socioeconomic inequality has been labeled as the chief cause of xenophobic violence in South Africa. I remember watching a video last year that revealed the inhuman treatment some foreigners seeking employment in South Africa go through.To me the cause of this repulsive act from South Africans shows a defeat on their personality. A sense of inferiority plague the architects of xenophobia. The failure of the South African government to address the embarrassing economic conditions of its citizens shouldn't become the cross of foreigners in that country. Citizens of South Africa need to realize that they have created a schism with the countries that at some point in history supported their fight against apartheid.