This was said after recent acts of violence described as xenophobic resulted in eight deaths of foreign African nationals and locals causing worldwide condemnation described by some as black-on-black violence.
“Immemorial Africans lived side by side voluntarily and involuntarily. Involuntary migration resulted in many coming to the country and integrating as miners, kitchen workers and seasonal workers,” said Mongane Serote, a poet and writer, suggesting that similar trends happened with South Africans migrating elsewhere and also between other African countries.
Serote, a MK veteran and former head of the Freedom Park Trust said if not challenged, the word could become a commonly used term to describe and create an impression of South Africa being an intolerant country. “The vile acts were limited to malcontents and criminals who sought to take advantage of negative sentiments and emotions deriving from the word to commit crime. Fortunately their aim failed to fan the hatred in millions who resisted and condemned the violence, and their criminality and our presumed hatred for other Africans.”
Serote said the country’s commitment to its Africanness was typified by former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki who went to thank many African countries and the African Union for supporting the anti apartheid struggle.
“This was to affirm our commitment to the African heritage. It was followed by the African Renaissance programme led by President Mbeki and other leaders which though seeming to be off the radar, is still being promoted through various initiatives to advance African renewal and to dispel negative sentiments about the continent. Serote also referred to President Mbeki’s poetic and now iconic speech ‘I am an African’ which sought to promote the continental renewal.
Serote instead attributed the killings and destructions to a carryover of an institutionalised culture of violence from the apartheid regime.
“The culture continues to manifest as anger, violence and abuse of the weakest with citizens, children, women and the elderly most vulnerable. The same does not happen to other nationals who integrate their kith and kin.”
Serote urged Africans to be each others cultural activists and keepers irrespective of origin, to learn to adopt dialogue to resolve problems and for government to create an enabling environment to empower citizens to withstand divisions which create conditions that promote hatred of others said not to be our own.
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