I would firstly like to thank InTheNews.co.za for publishing my letter and giving me a platform to share my views and thoughts about the tragedy occurring in South Africa due to the xenophobic attacks.
I am a Zimbabwean and have been working in South Africa since 2002. I got head-hunted by a South African recruitment firm to leave Zimbabwe and come take up a job in the engineering industry in South Africa. I have enjoyed my time in South Africa and so to my family. Moving to South Africa for me was a great move as I had the opportunity to expand my career and it is no hidden fact that the economy in Zimbabwe had started to go on a downward spiral so I was glad to move to South Africa to what was a better economy.
I work with many South Africans on a daily basis and I get along well with many of them. I would be lying if I said I have never had experiences of xenophobia during my time in South Africa, but what is happening now is extreme. I have had South African people talking to me in the past saying I should go back to my country and we leave it at that. But now the South Africans have taken it too far and beating up my fellow countrymen and other foreigners is wrong.
Yes, there are many illegal foreigners in South Africa and I blame the government for not doing more to curb the influx of illegal immigrants. However, there are many legal immigrants in South Africa today who are doing sterling jobs to help South Africa. It is no secret there is a skills shortage in South Africa and most of these vacant positions are being filled up by skilled and qualified foreigners as South Africa just does not have enough skills to sustain this growing economy. One does not even have to look at it from the economies perspective: The coach of the soccer national team is a foreigner. Why is he there? Because he has the skills necessary to make South Africa successful on the football field, just as there are foreigners able to assist South Africa in their businesses and thus grow the economy. And now if South Africans are chasing foreigners away, what then for South Africa?
Some of you may say that, it is only the poor, illegal foreigners being driven out of the country by these attacks and that they are the victims. But I feel for my fellow countrymen and one should not think that it will only be the poor illegal people who will leave South Africa, the skilled foreigners will also leave and you can be sure that those who wanted to move to South Africa now will have serious second thoughts about making the move. What is stopping these attacks from spreading to other areas of Gauteng and into other provinces across South Africa? The attacks are happening in the townships but what if these attackers make their way to suburbs such as Sandton and Fourways? There is nothing stopping them from attacking foreigners there to. I do not feel safe anymore in South Africa as I fear I could be targeted at any given time.
We have lived peacefully with South Africans in their country for many years now but all of a sudden it is going pear shaped. Please let us stop this nonsense and continue to live together. The question I pose today is; what would happen if every single foreigner in South Africa was to leave the country today?
