I was reading some of the comments made by Mamphela Ramphele at a press club luncheon this week. Ramphele has held the posts of managing director of the World Bank and vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town. I think in most respects she really hit the nail on the head.

She said that South Africa had “grossly underestimated” the challenges of transformation, in particular by believing in “miracles and Madiba magic”. I really believe that this is true. During the ‘Madiba reign’ we all had high hopes and believed that the future leadership would be like Mandela. We were very short-sighted!

Ramphele went on to say that the government thought only about ‘the people shall govern’ - that democracy simply meant rule by majority. They forgot that this can be tyranny. These days we can see this very clearly. The government has many times pushed through legislation which disregards the will of the people, they have pushed legislation which benefits certain segments of the population and they have an arrogance that they can do as they like because they are the biggest party.

Ramphele went on:”State corruption in combination with the government’s failure to provide quality access to public resources and social services undermined the country’s ability to be competitive as a democracy in the 21st century”. Again this is something that we have seen growing alarmingly over the last decade. Bribery and corruption have become an integral part of life now and our country has very little social services to speak of.
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I interviewed a resident of Zandspruit in regards to the recent attacks on foreigners. I wanted to get an idea on what was going on there and the reasons for the xenophobic attacks. Here is what Florence Gumede (not her real name) had to say:

JS: Have you seen firsthand any of the xenophobic attacks?

FG: Yes. A group of people burned down a shack near to where I live. The shack belonged to a Mozambique citizen who has been in this country for a number of years. Luckily he was not there at the time. People are still waiting around to see if he will return.

JS: Now that the army has been deployed and their is a strong police presence, do you think that the attacks are now over?

FG: Not at all. People are tired of living the way they are. These attacks are only a beginning - they will not stop!

JS: What do people think of the politicians and ANC leaders who have visited these areas to try and bring about peace?

FG: They do not understand us. They live in a different world where they are rich and get what they want. They can never understand our feelings and problems. For them they just don’t exist.

JS: Surely peace is a good way to go. Couldn’t we listen to the politicians and maybe they will listen to us?

FG: (laughs) Look at what they are doing! The foreigners go to the police station and the churches. There they are given food and blankets. Here our own people go hungry. Why doesn’t the government help their own people?
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The latest anti-foreigner riots in Alexandra has really shocked people across the country. So why have we suddenly seen this explosion of xenophobia and hate against foreigners?

This situation could have been predicted and dealt with but the government as usual totally ignores the warning signs before it is too late. The poor people in South Africa are pissed off! The government has ignored them for too long now and this is just a reaction to that. But what are the true reasons?

The primary reason is that there are too many poor South Africans who can not get jobs to feed and support their families. Those desperate enough have turned to crime to solve their problems. But for the big majority, resorting to crime is not an option. These people look around and see so many illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other countries moving here and ’stealing’ jobs’. Because these immigrants get jobs, they lose out.

In the news over recent months, they have reported on the high number of illegals who are involved in crime - particularly ATM bombings, hijackings and burglary. It has also been reported that the drug trade is being run by foreigners and that a number of murders have been attributed to foreigners. The South African people are sick of being accused of being lawless whereas the truth, according to what they are told, is different.

The rising fuel and food prices have also played a huge role in stoking the fire. Most of these poor families are feeling incredibly frustrated and despair of ever being able to have a decent standard of living. More than most others, they feel the pinch of even small price rises. The huge rises seen recently have just piled on the extra pressure. A release is needed and the foreigners are easy targets.

It is all very well for the government to stand up now and demand that the people stop when they have ignored them for so long. Do you honestly think that the people will listen to the illustrious ANC leaders now after being lied to for so long?

“Xenophobia has no place in a democratic, free country like ours. Our people should avoid taking out frustrations they face due to unemployment or crime on immigrants,” ANC leader Jacob Zuma said in a speech this week. I agree but I feel that the people should be taking out their frustrations on the government and force them to confront the real issues and deal with them immediately.

I would fully support the people of Alex and other poor areas if they decided to march and demonstrate against the government in a demand for immediate action. This government needs to wake up and realise that their grassroots support is dying. Without that support they will have nothing.