If South Africans Could Kill Their Own Lucky Dube, What Wouldn’t They Do To Other Africans?

Over some few years now, some South Africans have unleashed xenophobic attacks on other African nationals. Recently, such attacks occurred again with some Ghanaians in South Africa falling victims. The Government of Ghana consequently evacuated about 300 Ghanaian victims of the xenophobic attacks from South Africa to Ghana with the hope of evacuating the rest later.

From an observation by a Greek historian called Herodotus, the question is often posed in a Geography class, “Egypt is the Nile and the Nile is Egypt, Discuss”. Similarly, one may say, South Africa is Xenophobic and Xenophobia is South Africa, Discuss.

Quintessentially, xenophobia is the irrational fear, hatred, or deep dislike of people perceived to be foreigners, strangers, or outsiders. Derived from the Greek words xenos (strange or alien) and phobos (fear), it usually targets individuals based on their nationality, culture, or perceived differences from a dominant in-group. This is the phenomenon in contemporary South Africa, a country once subjected to apartheid rule and racism but apparently learnt no humane lessons from that with regard to how to treat others especially fellow Africans.

With the xenophobic mind and actions of South Africans in contemporary times, one is compelled to be of the candid opinion that an ungrateful South African sovereignty that was subjected to apartheid rule which was pivoted on a Group Areas Act should have been left by other Africans to suffer alone forever.

The Group Areas Act (Act No 41 of 1950) was a cornerstone piece of apartheid legislation in South Africa that enforced strict geographic segregation by dividing cities and towns into specific residential and business zones based on racial classifications. It was this law that the reggae legend, Lucky Dube refers to in one of his songs saying,

If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up
If it's a lie, don't tell me the truth
'Cause what the truth will do, it's gonna hurt my heart

Been in the darkness for so long now

Mr. President, did I hear you well last night on the TV?
You said, group areas and it's going away
Apartheid, it's going away
Group areas and it's going away
Apartheid, it's going away……

The primitively xenophobic mind of a South African which was supported by other African countries including but not limited to Ghana is tantamount to a dying lion who is rescued and resuscitated by another and instead of being grateful to the rescuer, it pounced on and devoured the same rescuer.

It is evident that the xenophobic mind of the South African derives its joy from the molestation of other Africans who journeyed to South Africa. Globally, every country’s citizens travel to other countries for one reason or another and South Africans are no exception so what is the big deal. As such, there are South Africans residing in other countries as well and nobody is intentionally causing harm to them nor driving them out forcibly on basis of xenophobia.

It is disgraceful that low thinking South Africans like Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and other “March and March” Campaigners/Protesters are not only disgracefully saying that foreigners have deprived them of their academic efforts but also ungratefully submitting that African countries which supported Mandela financially to fight apartheid should go and get a refund from Mandela. What an ungrateful, insensitive and a xenophobic thought?

Unfortunately, this is how cheeky a xenophobic and blood-thirsty being sounds. It is even lost on them that their country and their country folks (natural and juristic) have set up and operating businesses abroad which fetch South Africa foreign direct investment benefits. They have no idea that their xenophobic attacks on other Africans can affect their business ventures in other African countries. A South Africa we redeemed from apartheid rule?

I have come to hold the view that no matter how generally presumptive it may sound, from leadership to citizenship, South Africans are naturally physically and verbally abusive people. It is, therefore, not surprising that their members of Parliament waste so many hours discussing nothing progressive but only overly unnecessary interjections they call points of order which are full of verbal abuses. I am a constant observer of the proceedings of that Parliament and I hear nothing but only the screaming of on a point of order. One point of order is shouted to counter another point of order until a whole day is wasted a way. Whoever doubts this observation is encouraged to start watching South African Parliamentary Proceedings on YouTube or TikTok and see things for himself or herself.

How could you be attacking your fellow Africans for an unjust cause and when Ghana reacted swiftly to evacuate her precious citizens then you alluded that Ghana acted on impulse. You wanted Ghana to come collect dead bodies of its citizens after you had killed them? Which progressive and fellow-feeling people would hold such a primitive school of thought if not only xenophobic South Africans who are filled with inferiority complex.

It should not be lost on you xenophobic South Africans that but for the fact that Ghanaians are peaceful people, we could equally have been hunting for South Africans residing in Ghana. But hey, Ghana shows her respect for humanity and hence wouldn’t go into such destructive, inhumane, disgusting, insensitive and international- image- tarnishing acts. Such a refusal of retaliation is not cowardice. Rather, it is a firm decision that even if the mad man or woman snatches and runs away with our only clothes, we wouldn’t chase him/her or else right-thinking members of the international community or reasonable bystanders may think that we are equally inflicted by madness.

Upon all the numerous supports by Ghana to help South Africa emerge from the dreaded and slavery-embedded apartheid rule, today the South African is like Shakespearean Macbeth who would even kill his own friend, Banquo and his own uncle, King Duncan for personal gains on a royal throne.

The xenophobic South Africans have soon forgotten that their own Lucky Dube whom Ghanaians still love posthumously sings in his poignant “Victim” track condemning senseless violence and the tragedy of people killing their own brothers and sisters. He sings, " The enemy will stand aside and look, while we kill our own brothers, knowing that already they are the victims of the situation…we slash and kill our on brothers?.."

In his timeless novel, “The Gods Are Not To Blame”, Ola Rotimi asks poignantly, when crocodiles eat their own eggs, what would they not do to the flesh of the frog?

In conclusion, I ask by repeating the caption of this article, If South Africans Could Kill Their Own Lucky Dube, What Wouldn’t They Do To Other Africans?

~Asante Sana~
Philip Afeti Korto
Hospital Administrator
[email protected]