If only everyone else could take this issue with this level of seriousness.
Far more individual & collective boycotts are needed!
South Africa harbours a visceral, institutionalised hatred for foreigners. But letβs be clearβit's specifically Afrophobia. They love - coddle WHITE foreigners, but reserve their vitriol for fellow Black Africans.
This isn't just a working-class issue driven by poverty like they'd like you to believe(this is also just another justification), it's hatred that cuts across class & education levels. It's embedded in the state bureaucracy & border control. They quickly classify every Black African as an "illegal migrant" to justify their actions, as if being undocumented means you deserve to be butchered on the streets.
The lack of self-awareness is staggering. They never use this vim to negotiate better wealth distribution from the minority white South Africans who still control the vast majority of the nation's wealth. It is nowhere to be found. Instead, the anger is entirely displaced onto other Africans. They punch down because they are too scared to look up & ask for fairness.
The historical betrayal is the most annoying part. The liberation of South Africa was a pan-African project. In very recent history, South Africans were the undocumented migrants relying on the aid, resources, &
protection of neighbouring states to survive.
Even more ironic? South Africans are highly mobile migrants themselves. There're hundreds of thousands of South Africans living abroad, including the 217,000(12% black SAfricans) in England & Wales. Yet, many carry this same anti-African xenophobia with them into the diaspora.
When a nation's institutions are built on this kind of historical amnesia & targeted cruelty, it ceases to be a safe or welcoming place. It is embedded into their DNA, "Idlozi likhombisa ngomfana", & it needs to be handled with the same degree of seriousness.
I have stopped going to South Africa for any international conferences for mainly 3 things.
1. Border police rudeness: Some years ago I was invited for a conference on conflicts in the Horn in South Africa. I showed email invite to the border policeman at the desk. He rudely asked: "but why can't you people hold your peace conferences in your homes. Why always come to South Africa?" - I think he had a point. Why must we?
Second time it was worse - "But why are you Zomallis and Ethiopians always here."
I reminded him I was actually Kenyan, and I was only in the country for 2 days for an international conference
Reply: "Sheh, um, eh. But what is the difference"
2. As soon as locals figure out you are a black person, possibly African from another country, the automatic assumption is that you are an illegal migrant. You see immediate hostile reaction. Honestly, I found SA one of the most miserable places on earth in terms of peoples' attitude to foreigners. The visceral hatred towards fellow Africans is unnerving. Still one of the most beautiful geographies in Africa.
3. The state bureaucracy and departments filled with people who actually know very little about the outside world. Most of the best people who made South Africa an outward-looking African power are gone. All remaining are small-time apparatchiks stealing from the state and fat toads serving as diplomats. I feel sorry for South Africa.