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Lebogang, I am afraid we are having to match against xenophobia precisely because we did not match against the other things as we should have. But we have to start now and break the chain. We have a great chance of becoming a real democracy. Why? Because of Niemöller's words:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out

i got this sms last night (use the info/ dont use it):

"Sat, 24 May,
Marks Park, Empire Rd, (near hillbrow)
gather 9am
- bring banners, placards, friends etc...
it has to be big Plz frwd!"

...

@Daniel, it's at school (WSOA).

Err, Nina Sum1 are you gonna be there? you know?,,, near hillbrow?

There are 2 marches, the one nina is talking about which is soooo in Melville and the other is deep in it...Library Gardens, Jozi...choose one

lets go get our march on!!

@ kotn - "le nna ke ea e batla... " lol

*starts humming the seana marena song*

other nations previously put South Africa's needs before theirs, especially on the continent.

I guess then the problem of the fragmented nationalism(s) will continue... everyone seems to be a nationalist, but across racial, political, ethnic and linguistic lines.

a lot of South Africans carry themselves as if South Africa is not of the continent and that is just pathetic really.

This country needs education

Lebo,I feel what you saying.We need to get our house in order.Service delivery needs to improve before we even try helping our neighbours.How do you give a street kid some food while you dnt have any.How many families have been sleeping without food and nobody cared about organising food parcels to give them??But I guess you cant kick an already dead dog,so I support giving the those peeps who were chased out of their houses.

I just wish it doesnt stop with them.I wish it continues to our struggling South Africans.I wish those South Africans families with no blankets this winter also get some blankets.

Xenophobian attacks were just a tip of an ice berg of many problems we facing in SA.Peeps who did that were tired of Government officials who are not doing enough to improve service delivery.The middle class who are over look our South Africans because they are deemed "LAZY".The shop owners who wanted to make more profit with cheap labour.The government officials who sells ID's to illegal imigrants.The border control who are corrucpt.

Lets get our house in order before we even try to help other countries.Lets make refugee camps for those who want flee their country.Lets get rid of corrupt government officials.Lets all work together in helping the needy like we helping those are wounded from the attacks.

Ma Afrika Borwa,nobody deserves to be killed for our own problems...

(these attacks have been indiscriminate to the point that even South Africans have been victims.)

The majority of those who went into exile did so as a result of conditions in South Africa and as part of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa --- so the distinction between their needs and South Africa's needs seems odd.

Granted, immigration laws are liberal but what about the climate within which SA permits immigrants to step into? So what's the point of the liberal immigration laws if even the arm of the law is is easily broken?

For many an immigrant SA's (reciprocally) merely a locality for activity, hence we see among them a lot of thrifty people willing to take up every opportunity on offer.

Unfortunately some people cannot stand to see their fellow man making progress. Even foreign nationals who are here legally and are contributing (positively) to the economy are subject to derision and attacks.

There are all these complaints in SA about schools, quality of education and educators, unemployment, inadequate social welfare etc ad nauseam. Some of the foreign nationals offer the opportunities to address some of these concerns. Whether through well-educated teachers, entrepreneurial people who can provide employment.

Yes let's look at the broader issues and address them but let us not pass the buck and lay blame where it is not due.

Suppose this insipid ploy worked to drive all (african) foreign nationals out of SA... what then??? Will SA have found the elusive rainbow nation that it so desperately seeks?

*also not directed at any one particular person

That's how I view the attacks/ violence I guess; that many people are laying the blame for their situation(s) on foreigners

"...they take our job and our womans..." (sic)

(compounded by a lack of education and many other factors)

"LOL!: they take our womans (it's true though, not a excuse for violence though)."

why do people assume this, when it's South African women, who are on these men like _____ (fill in the blank)
LOL

military training? how'd you come to that seilatsatsi?

War it is!

"fewer than 5000 asylum seekers in SA?!?!?!?"

my thots exactly, even if that info was compiled some yrs back even then there were millions here.