Anniversary of the Xenophobic Attacks

Two women pray during a church service commemorating the xenophobic violence of May 2008

This past week, I covered a church vigil in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra. The service, which was attended by about 50 Alex residents, commemorated the xenophobic attacks of May 2008.

One year ago, 62 foreigners were killed by angry mobs who felt threatened by Zimbabweans and other Africans who “were taking their jobs.” Pictures of maimed and burning bodies shocked the world, just as the violence in Kenya earlier last year had. It goes to show you that democracy is a fragile thing and a flourishing state can just as quickly turn into an illiberal democracy.

The aftermath of the xenophobic violence is still apparent in South Africa. Right after the attacks, thousands of foreigners were displaced from their homes in townships like Alexandra and Ramaphosa  into squatter camps. Zimbabwean refugees still squat at the Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg. The rioters and murderers still roam the streets of Johannesburg freely and boast of their shameful exploits, according to a recent Times story by my colleague Benjamin Bradlow. Xenophobia is alive and well in parts of the Rainbow Nation, which holds the credo of tolerance and non-racialism to the utmost reverence.

Working on this story made me realize how reconciliation can be such an empty-handed gesture. Sure, people can pray, ask forgiveness and vow never again. Yet, the legacy of apartheid continues to exist in South Africa. The senseless nature of the violence in South Africa – the burning and the brutal beating of foreigners last year – mirror the violence that pervaded South Africa during the apartheid era. And was the church packed with South Africans and foreigners united against xenophobia? Organizers blamed the low turnout on a misunderstanding, but do they really suppose scores of Alexandra residents really want to relive this shameful period in their history? Community leaders can say one thing, but the ordinary South African would probably rather forget such atrocities ever occurred in their neighborhoods.

It’s this conflicting duality in South Africa that continues to astonish me. You can cover some of the most extravagant events, like a 75-million Rand inauguration ceremony that celebrates the conclusion of a free, fair and democratic election, and the next week, cover the aftermath of horrific violence in poor townships. It’s a constant culture shock, one I’m not sure I will ever get over.

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