1. I Rise on a point of Order
The recent attacks on foreigners is of grave concern and left me baffled. How disgusting and
shameful that only a minority of blood thirsty thugs can put the country's name in disrepute.
South Africa has had proud moments of hosting international events such as the World Summit
on Sustainable Development, World Cricket Cup, World Rugby Cup and the 2010 Soccer World
Cup. We are a country reputable for settling its disputes peacefully, without bloodshed. In
1994, we had a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy and created a rainbow nation.
Now I am having a low point as a citizen to be associated with people who want to make any
excuses to hate and kill other human beings because of where they come from.
I have heard what the Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini said about foreigners and their behavior.
He raised a very serious concern about how they have infested our communities and made
them inhabitable for human dwelling. You and I can agree that he has a point about the urban
decay that we see in famous parts of the cities in for example, Yeoville and Hillbrow,
Johannesburg. You can go to Sunnyside in Pretoria and other parts of Durban and even East
London , you will see for yourself. There has been a total takeover of residential and business
buildings by foreigners after our white folk left the inner city. There is an alleged rampant crime
and illicit drug dealing which cannot be contained as drug lords who are known to the very
same South Africans trade undisturbed. Those who are silent are supporting businesses of
foreigners, legal or not. That is very hypocritical.
Believe me I have never seen foreigners high on drugs, but they allegedly sell them and own
shops and places of worship in the inner cities. These allegedly serve as the underworld of
drugs and other dealings. Who is the clientele of these business dealings? It's the very same
South Africans, Yet we accuse them of stealing our business and job opportunities. We can't
deny that we benefit from their entrepreneurial skills. The carpenters, welders, builders and
plumbers run businesses and we support them. They are semi-skilled and are our gardeners
and domestic workers. But when a fellow South African starts a business, we don't even set
foot in their shops. That is why we never succeed because we don't support our own people.
We are jealous.
Come to think of it. We complain that foreigners out-muscle small businesses like spaza shops
in townships. Well, the strategy is clear. They buy in bulk and sell cheaper to the locals. We
have allowed them to rent our backyards and trade. We have given them our shops in
townships and they sell from every building formerly owned by South Africans. They marry our
sisters and have babies with them and get naturalized citizenship. They never came to our

2. locality by force. We welcomed them. Those who are here illegally have to be sent back home
by our government, and that is supposed to happen within the confines of the law as they do at
repatriation centers like Lindela. But who is selling illegal identity documents and passports to
illegal foreigners?
What did we do when we saw this total take over happen?
Did we re-strategize how to make our spaza shops sustainable?
Did we go to the inner city to rent the shops and flats when they were left by the whites?
Recently I took a walk down Rahima Moosa street in Johannesburg. All the shops in that street
are owned by the foreigners. I went there recently and observed knock-off time. As the doors
rolled down at 6pm all those who filled up the streets walking home were foreign nationals. But
guess who buys consumables from those shops? South Africans. Not even a single shop is
owned or rented by them.
Yes I understand that we have to be nice to foreigners and they are our brothers and sisters.
We have no right to kill anyone because of where they come from. We never killed the whites,
Chinese, Pakistanis or Indians. So why kill the black foreigners?
I understand that South Africans were welcomed in African countries when they were in exile.
We forget the people from Namibia, Lesotho Botswana and Swaziland are foreigners too. So
what makes the Zimbabweans and Mozambicans different from the rest?
Yes it's true South Africans went to exile, only a few! When our brothers and sisters were in
exile, 10 things to remember...
This is what I heard in most debates about Xenophobia held by South Africans on the social
media and discussions I had. In general some argue that:
1. They were not involved in drug trafficking
2. They did not own businesses like spazas and shops.
3. They did not walk the streets selling carpets, mirrors and funny pictures.
4. They did not occupy or buy houses buildings and land illegally.
5. They did not fraudulently apply for citizenship because they were there for a good reason
and not for lifetime.
6. They were not involved in crime like heists, fraud, illegal mining, cable stealing e.t.c

3. 7. They did not WORK ! But involved in military training in order to come back to fight the
enemy.
8. They did not walk the streets demanding their rights "In whose country" by the way?
9. They were very Respectful and appreciate the fact that they were given political asylum
10. Lastly, they CAME BACK HOME!
But this doesn't mean our country is for sale and it's free for all. Although we are hospitable and
welcoming We deserve some respect. We can't be swamped by foreigners. There is an Arabic
adage that says "never allow a camel to enter your tent". We need to be careful about the
influx of foreigners in our country. There must be a limit.
So let us learn to be competitive and not allow ourselves to be swallowed by hate and jealousy.
We need to stop hating each other and support local business. We need to buy from each other
and abandon the "Pull Him Down Syndrome". We can better our lives and do things differently.
As the Zulu adage goes. "Umuntu o mnyama aka funi ku bona u muntu o munye a ya phezulu. "
simply put, a black person doesn't want to see another succeed.
If we want to express our dissatisfaction about their presence, then let us raise issues in a
public discourse and ask if they are contributing to the fiscus of our country or paying taxes?
Are they making a difference in our lives or making things worse? What can be done to resolve
the problem without hate, violence and murder. We need a way forward.
Many would like to see a solution to this problem. Not the embarrassment we have witnessed
recently.
I hope my point of order is recognized.
[Collen Lemawane is a television business news presenter on SABC News Channel 404. He writes
in his personal capacity.]