Reading this blog I gather that this isn’t really news to most South Africans. At the risk of offending some of the readers of this blog with what could be considered a “black and white” view of the situation, I think that the black South Africans are cowards and have left it too late to stand up for their rights to a fairer society and quite frankly are targeting the wrong people.

For years they were oppressed by people well equipped to defend themselves, and now they pick on people who were once in their shoes? Perhaps if they had shown half as much passion in the days of apartheid, history would tell a different story today. They didn’t and so we are where we are today.

Surely the way forward is NOT to undergo and ethnic cleansing of all black foreigners, white foreigners or white South Africans, but for the inept government to invest in black communities where I believe the level of education leaves much to be desired and break this economy – crippling circle of uneducated black South Africans who cannot get themselves out poverty.

These people cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel because the do no have the tools they need to improve their financial position and not to aspire to. Unfortunately, history has shown that their children will walk the same parts in their God given country – and the anger grows.

The Nigerian government maybe corrupt (this might be a understatement) but Nigeria is littered with highly intelligent and educated people who again because of a history of inept governments cannot all find decent jobs. Surely they stand a better chance of getting good jobs in South Africa where presumably the jobs are available but perhaps there is a shortage of skilled employees.

Black South African need hope, they need skills, they need confidence in themselves.

This is by no means intended to condone the violence perpetrated. I intend merely to point out that to go down the engrained racism of colonialism suffered over hundreds of years which afflicts us all (black and white) is miss the real issue.

The real issue is a lack of resources, jobs and education. The black South Africans perpetrating the violence do so in the main (excluding the criminal element taking advantage of the chaos) out of desperation and frustration. It is basic economics. The less people to share the cake with, the bigger my slice.

A lot has been made about the Zimbabweans here in SA. I believe a lot of ZImbabweans in SA illegally (out of their own desperation) would return to Zim if Mugabe was out of office. But where is SA President Mbekei in all of this. He has appearance to discuss the matter and stands shoulder to shoulder with Mugabe.

I’m coming round to Pierre’s view that Zuma may not be so bad afterall!

White immigrants don’t crawl under barbed wire fences and enter illegally, and then set about snaffling jobs and women off the locals. They enter through the front door, family in tow, having first satisfied many strict entry criteria, and usually they have been head-hunted for the scarce skills and/or job-creation they can bring to benefit all South Africans.

Why would you want to burn and stab people like that? They’re not in competition with you and, if you’re poor and black, you’re most definitely not in competition with them.

The only reason for launching xenophobic violence on white immigrants would be out of blind, mad envy.

Perhaps that neatly explains the thousands of white farmer killings?

http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/mandelarhodesscholars/2008/05/15/on-makwerekwere/

I actually wanted to hear from some of the black commentators if they’ve come across this, because as mentioned earlier I know of the alleged statement by Mzukisi Gaba (which also surprised me since I never heard about it till recently) and the blogger.

http://forums.prophecy.co.za/f6/when-mandela-dies-729/

In my school days, teachers beat the living daylights out of a pupil just for being stupid. Funny thing is people remained stupid, thank god for the abolition of such punishment.

Needless to say, I escaped much of that. You on the other hand do not seem to have escaped it.