Xenophobia

Posted below are two of the three pieces I wrote to contribute to a really big package on xenophobia for Tuesday's "News Review" section in the Cape Times. Andrea Hart and I helped reporter Karen Breytenbach on this. Refugees are right up Andrea's alley, so I'm so glad she had a chance to shine so early on into the internship. My third piece was held for next week so I can work it into an in-depth piece on non-citizen labour rights. I'm actually really happy and proud of myself that I came up with the story idea since I'm still feeling a bit like a small fish in a big, unknown sea. Make that 'plankton' in a big sea. I'm such a nerd. Anyway, here they are. ***Note: The stories received little or no editing so please don't judge the bad quality of my writing! I only feel good about a story after it's torn apart by a hardened editor. I guess this is why some newspapers won't accept clips from abroad. I'll just have to watchdog myself from now on.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Hout Bay township time bomb ticking ...

To a naive eye, a cursory glance at the township in Hout Bay, Imizamo Yethu, would appear to reveal a bustling place of chaotic yet somehow cohesive co-existence.

On a Thursday afternoon, children are running and playing as women are keeping a watchful eye, preparing dinner and chatting. The men are playing pool and talking in their own circles. With limited space and both economic and social constraints it seems there would be a strong community-based understanding of a shared situation.

Yet that is not the case. The clusters of people are calculated and defined not by proximity or personality, but by ethnicity. There are schisms in the community between South Africans and refugees. Xenophobia simmers in the back of minds and all it takes sometimes is a bad day to elicit it. In an 18-hectare area designated for about 2 500 people, but with an actual population of about 35 000, it is a time bomb waiting to happen, said councillor Marga Haywood.

"Some of the refugees are right, " said Pinky Dungelo, a South African. "I'm friends with the good ones. But 99% of them are not right. They must go back."

Dungelo, born and raised in Hout Bay, said her major complaints about refugees were that they were sick, dishonest and rude.

"We've got no problems with them; they have problems with us by stealing from us," she said. "They're dangerous. They act like they're looking for jobs, but their details are fake and we don't know their real names."

According to Dungelo, the refugees get women pregnant then disappear. Relationships between locals and foreigners are trouble. "If they have a Xhosa girlfriend and they fight, they beat the girl. They're not hitting her like the way a South African man would. They fight like she's a man."

Fear also exists on issues of safety and health. Dungelo believes refugees spread diseases. "Zimbabweans have worms and you get it from sex with them." Dungelo said she had never seen the worms before or knew of anyone who had, but she heard about it from other people.

Around the corner, no more than a few metres away, sat Hango Jose, a Zimbabwean refugee who has lived in Hout Bay since 2003. Jose came in the hope of finding economic opportunities. At present, he is unemployed. He has experienced xenophobic remarks before, but never any acts of violence.

"Several South Africans told me to go back to Zimbabwe and that I don't belong," Jose said. He doesn't feel the remarks are warranted or that refugees are taking jobs away from South Africans. "Most of the refugees here take the jobs at bars others don't want," he said. "The contractors are employing Zimbabweans. They believe Zims are stronger than South Africans."

caroline.smith@inl.co.za

Sudanese success story in SA

"I came to South Africa because of freedom and democracy."

Eleven years ago, Faiz Salih left his family and life behind in Sudan to try for a better life in South Africa. Now, he is a South African citizen, happily married to a South African and is manager of two stores. He regards his story as one of success. Salih attributes the small and close-knit community structure to his successful incorporation into South Africa.

"If you want to go anywhere in the world, first ask a Sudanese," he said. "The community helped me out when I arrived. Now when new people come, I feel I have to help them. At the moment, we have four guys and (the community is) supporting them and giving them a place to stay. We tell them where to go and what to stay away from. "

Salih does not think Sudanese have experienced xenophobia as much as other refugees. "There are not a lot of Sudanese in South Africa. In Cape Town, there are less than 100. Most are educated and involved in life in South Africa. Some people have told me to go back, but only as a joke."

As for his inter-marriage, Salih faced more antipathy from his side of the family, who are Muslim, than from his South African in-laws.

On the topic of refugees, Salih urged understanding from South Africans. "Africans have helped South Africa before. I remember in school we learnt about Nelson Mandela and there always used to be a donation. I'd go home and ask my father for money. At least when (refugees) come here you must give them chances."

He does not think refugees are taking jobs from South Africans. "We can't get jobs so most create their own. All of the Sudanese shopkeepers I know employ at least one or two South Africans. We help the community. We also help the country."

Salih wants to return to his homeland, despite his comfortable life here. It can be difficult, he admits. "Some people have been here for 15-20 years," he said. "They had no experience (in Sudan) and when they went back they didn't succeed."

caroline.smith@inl.co.za