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THE South African government has made great strides in addressing social inequalities in that country since the end of apartheid in 1994. Due to the skewed nature of race relations prior to the first democratic elections, blacks were disadvantaged compared to their white counterparts for years and this is evident in the number of black South Africans who live below the poverty datum line.

Despite its best efforts, the economy of that country is still very much in the hands of the minority white population and the pace of integration of blacks into the mainstream economy has been painfully slow. Since 1994, the euphoria of Nelson Mandela’s release from 27 years of incarceration and the advent of majority rule has gradually been replaced by anger and disillusionment over the reality of white capital and its stranglehold over Africa’s second biggest economy.

The Black Economic Empowerment movement has benefited a few blacks leaving most to wallow in poverty in the townships. In parts of South Africa, the bucket toilet system is still very much in use and hundreds of thousands of people live in shacks. Granted, the South African government’s Reconstruction and Development Programme provided low cost houses to millions of its citizens but a lot still needs to be done.

It is thus safe to conclude that millions of ordinary South Africans are a frustrated lot. Their dreams of living decent lives are still to be realised almost 20 years after the attainment of a democratic dispensation. The sheer size of the South African economy means that the country is a magnet for migrants and these come from all over the African continent — Zimbabwe included.

Most immigrants are honest people who work hard to earn a living. They have integrated themselves into the South African way of life and are contributing immensely to that country’s economy. Zimbabweans have always sought jobs in South Africa since the days of Wenela but due to the economic downturn in Zimbabwe beginning 2000, there are now many Zimbabweans in that country particularly in Gauteng and Limpopo provinces.

There are a few malcontents who are into crime in South Africa but the majority of Zimbabweans resident in that country eke out an honest living and it is these people that require the protection of the South African government from a minority of locals who are xenophobic.

Elsewhere on these pages we carry a disturbing report which indicates that xenophobia is rearing its ugly head again in Limpopo province. A Zimbabwean was left nursing severe head injuries while several others had to flee their homes and tuck-shops following renewed xenophobic attacks by a mob of South Africans in Thohoyandou in Limpopo Province.

The attacks, which started on Tuesday last week, left the unidentified Zimbabwean badly injured while several others lost property worth thousands of dollars during the skirmishes.

Survivors narrated horrific tales of fleeing in terror from mobs baying for their blood.

A handful of street vendors ignited the attacks.

They marched through the streets carrying placards denouncing Zimbabweans resident in the town and accusing them of fuelling crime in the area.

According to witnesses, some of the placards read: “We are tired of Zimbabwean criminals and they must be flushed out of our community now.”

“I was selling my wares at the main market stall when a group of South Africans marched through the streets carrying placards denouncing Zimbabweans. They were later joined by some local residents and they subsequently descended on homes and tuck-shops belonging to Zimbabweans and started attacking them. They beat up anyone they suspected to be a Zimbabwean on the street,” said Nndanduleni Ndou, who witnessed the incident.

“The angry mob, mostly vendors, moved from one corner of the town to the other looking for Zimbabweans. They emptied dustbins and littered the streets and barricaded roads using stones, blocking traffic,” she said.

Of late Zimbabweans living in areas in Vhembe district in Limpopo province have been the subject of ridicule and blame for crime with locals taking it upon themselves to “weed out” foreigners, blaming them for “fuelling” crime in the area.

In February last year, two Zimbabweans were brutally killed by a mob of South Africans at Tswinga village in Thohoyandou while three sustained serious injuries in suspected xenophobic attacks.

The two Zimbabweans were abducted from their homes and taken to a secluded spot where they were brutally assaulted.

One of the victims died instantly while the other died at a hospital due to the injuries sustained from the beatings.

In Seshego Township, north-west of Polokwane, Godfrey Sibanda was trapped by a marauding mob and stoned to death in June 2011. This attack led to Zimbabweans in the area fleeing their homes due to fear. In May 2008, 62 foreigners in Alexandra Township in Johannesburg were brutally killed and thousands displaced. Their homes were also destroyed and looted during the attacks, which subsequently spread to other parts of the country.

We urge the South African government to come down hard on xenophobic attacks and protect Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals living in that country.