Opinion | Guest Contributor | 2015.04.15 | 2 Rajab 1436 H

More than 8000 people have been displaced and 8 people including a 14-year-old child have lost their lives last week. Guest contributor Saajida Malvina makes an impassioned plea for unity on what has been termed as xenophobia or Afrophobia wreaking havoc in our beloved South Africa.

On Sunday gruesome images were shown in our newspapers of a Mozambican national who was repeatedly stabbed in Alexandra Township. The photographer was James Ottoway. The victim’s only crime was of being a foreigner. On his hand Emmanuel Sithole had a Bafana Bafana armband. Sithole died due to his wounds. The hospital he was rushed to did not have a doctor on duty, as the doctors being foreigners fearing for their lives, did not go to work.

South Africa’s freedom charter says South Africa belongs to all those who live in it. Cry for the beloved South Africa that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned in for 27 years. The breadbasket of Africa and the milk of the continent has sold its soul. Where is the gratitude to our African nations for assisting, isolating and boycotting South Africa? Have we forgot how our African countries opened their borders to us during our most challenging times? Our African countries opened their hearts and pockets to us, assisting the struggle financially as well opening borders for members living there in exile. They also allowed their soil to be utilised to undertake actions against apartheid.

Have we become an ungrateful nation who now turns away refusing to acknowledge what our brethren did to assist us? I am in no way advocating attacks on other races, but the xenophobia attacks have never been against Americans or Brits – yet their governments supported apartheid.

”Every person shall reap what he sows”

We will only get what is ordained for us and no one will get more than what was written for him. Islam encourages one to look at those less fortunate than us insofar as wealth — then we will learn to be appreciative for the little we have. Qur’an mentions ”If you are appreciative, then I will increase for you.”

I implore our fellow South Africans in an impassion plea, please stop these attacks against our African brethren. At the end of the day we share the same continent and colonials created our artificial borders to demarcate countries. Rhodes has fallen in so far as the statue being removed, but his legacy lives on. Let us bring down the Rhodes legacy and unite in our differences and live side by side as one powerful nation who will bring change to the world and make a difference to the greater world. That can only happen if we burn the fuel of hatred and unite in our differences.

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