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Caption: A tale of the struggle against poverty and xenofobia in SA Struggling
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Caption: THIS IS OUR WHOLE SOCIETY'S PROBLEM
South Africa has been shaken by terrible xenofobic violence. It is a tale of the poorest of the poor battling for desperately scarce resources, and the anger and wanton violence that such a situation had unleashed between poverty stricken South African citizens and foreign
nationals.
The violence and maiming and killing of fellow Africans is entirely unacceptable, and has to be condemned unconditionally. However, poverty and the huge gap between rich and poor which is the underlying reason for this terrible situation cannot be ignored. South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. If this is not addressed the situation will continue to
fester.
The cover photo is of a destitute mother and child in my home town, Ballito on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, begging from the driver of a luxury Mercedes-Benz car. I took the photo from the verandah of an upmarket restaurant where I was having lunch for a price that could probably sustain the mother and child for a month. It is common day experiences, such as captured by this photo, that make the point that we are all part of the problem, and therefore the problem will only be resolved if we all become part of the solution.
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Caption: South Africa: A country ravaged by unemployment and poverty.
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Caption: Just over a week ago these terrible scenes of brutal attacks on, and the burning of foreigners, were captured in the townships of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
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Caption: Attacks and counter-attacks followed between South Africans and foreign nationals...
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Caption: South Africans of all walks of life had to immediately take a stand against such wanton violence.
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Caption: South Africans had to remind ourselves that during the years of the struggle against apartheid, when the African National Congress was a banned organisation many South Africans had been given refuge by the same African countries whose citizens were now so brutally attacked by some of us! In this historical photo at the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College in Tanzania, the then President of the ANC,
Oliver Tambo, poses with the children of exiled South African freedom fighters.
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Caption: Despite our problems with poverty and struggles for scarce resources the message went out that we are ALL AFRICANS.
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Caption: A sombre President Jacob Zuma addressed a Special Sitting of the National Assembly and called for an end to the violence.
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Caption: A mass march against xenofobia followed in Durban.
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Caption: At the march musicians from South African and from our fellow African countries together sang the message of unity and peace.
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Caption: A specially convened Imbizo against xenofobia called by His Majesty, King Zwelithini, King of the Zulu nation followed.
Caption: An Imbizo is a very special and rare meeting that the Zulu King only calls under exceptional circumstances to consult with and address the Zulu nation, who are the largest population group in South Africa.
At the Imbizo King Zwelithini clarified his earlier remarks about foreigners committing crime, and emphasized that he did not call for violence against any foreign national. He reiterated that Africa is one and made a clarion call against xenofobia and for peace and unity.
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Caption: Much is being done to now act against xenofobia and call for unity and peace, but the struggle to achieve it is far from won....
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Caption: Sadly, despite all these activities, a couple of days later Emanuel Sithole, a Mozambician citizen, was brutally stabbed to death in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra. Sporadic xenofobic attacks still continue...
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Caption: Cry the Beloved Country. We know the pain that had been caused, and we are deeply ashamed before all our brothers and sisters in Africa for what happened.
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Caption: The majority of South Africans are truly appalled by the xenofobic violence and are uniting as Africans to fight it.
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Caption: However, our best efforts will fall short as long as we fail to address the chasm between the few rich and the vast majority of poor people, both South Africans and foreign nationals...
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Caption: Within a few days, on the 27th of April, we South Africans will be celebrating our Freedom Day. As part of those celebrations we will be recognising the 67 years of his life that the Father of Our Nation, former President Nelson Mandela, dedicated to the struggle for freedom. Various South African organisations have dedicated themselves to make or donate 67 000 blankets to be shared with the poorest of the poor as the winter cold approaches. On this photo these blankets are spread out at the feet of the huge statue of President Mandela infront of the Union Buildings in Pretoria. This gesture is especially poignant in the light of the struggle against xenofobia and poverty that we are now so deeply engaged in. More than words this photo tells of our commitment to fight the ravages of poverty and to work for a better life for all South Africans ánd Africans.
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Caption: We still have a very long way to go, but by opening our fists of anger and as fellow Africans instead reach out to each other we will ultimately succeed.
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Caption: Carl Niehaus Most of these photos I have taken myself on my iPhone 6 Plus, others have been taken by other photographers. I acknowledge them, and hope they accept my use of their photos in this story which I believe is important to tell and spread as far and as wide as possible.
The foto above is of me participating in the mass march against xenofobia held in Durban.
I live in the small town of Ballito the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. I am an ANC politician, former SA Ambassador to The Netherlands, Principal Consultant for Lighthouse Consulting, writer and amateur photographer.
For a more in-depth understanding of the xenofobic violence in South Africa the following op-ed comment in the New York Times is worth reading:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/25/opinion/south-africa-turns-on-its-immigrants.html?_r=0&referrer=