@mochakilm
I heard a story that recently, in Atteridgeville, a group
of people were protesting for reasons unknown to me. During the protest march
they ended up breaking into a shop owned by a Pakistani immigrant. They raided
the man’s shop, stealing the food he sells and some of his profits. The
Pakistani shop owner tried to stop them, but there wasn’t much he could do against
the large group. The story I was told then proceeded to how the food was being
sold for half price on the streets of the Pretoria township and locals were
buying it too, without asking any questions.
As the narrative of the story was continuing in the
township, it was clear that some were in total support of the act and were
justifying it by saying the shop is owned by foreigners. It’s strange that black
South Africans, some of whom lost their family members to apartheid,
discriminate against others because they look and sound different. This is a country
that saw a lot of bloodshed because of discrimination that made others lesser
citizens because they looked different from the race considering itself more
superior. Xenophobia is exactly that – it’s just that the race once considered
inferior is claiming superiority over others. This time it’s not skin colour or
skin tone being used, but nationality.
