After apartheid discrimination, attacks on foreigners completely unacceptable

Martin Zagnoev, Johannesburg

“Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another,” said Nelson Mandela.

Yet, we witness mass attacks on foreigners which have shocked people across the world. After the horror of apartheid and the massacre in Rwanda, we would never have expected such things to happen here.

It’s true that times are tough and jobs are scarce, but let’s not exaggerate the threat by others, and loot our fellow humans. They are also trying to eke out a living, far from home. We are all children of our creator.

During apartheid, exiles were accommodated in African countries. They were welcome in London, and trained in Eastern Europe. Cuba sent thousands of her sons to fight and die in a war against the apartheid government.

Politicians, teachers, religious leaders, and others need to discourage these attacks.

Investors who could build factories and create much-needed jobs are afraid of such instability.

Burning parts of this great land won’t help anyone.

If our grandchildren ask one day what we did to protect foreigners, will we be able to look them in the eye?