20.05.2015, Strategic Culture
Foundation http://www.strategic-culture.org (Russia), Фонд стратегической культуры http://www.fondsk.ru (Россия)
Domestic affairs in South Africa have
sharply deteriorated since April of this year. A wave of violence has erupted
against foreigners all across the country.
The first incidents occurred during
the Soweto riots in mid-January. (1) This marked the beginning of the social
upheaval in South Africa -- a
country with a wealth of natural resources and a population of over 50 million.
The violence then made its way to major cities -- Durban, Johannesburg, and others. Army divisions were eventually
brought into some areas of Johannesburg. Several potential explanations have
been suggested for what is happening in South Africa.
Version no. 1. This nightmare stems from the fact
that illegal migrants are taking jobs --
currently in short supply - away from the local residents. There is much to
support this theory. First, the unemployment rate is indisputably high (25%
overall, and up to 40% for black South Africans, who make up nearly 4/5 of the
country’s population). Second, the country is home to large numbers of
immigrants (1.5 to 2 million). And third, the level of crime there is
extraordinary (the 4th highest in the world), so any unrest is easy to
attribute to criminal activity. Also, the original disturbances were sparked
when a factory fired striking workers and brought in immigrants to take their
place. But this version cannot account for everything. For example, only
migrants with a family background in African countries were attacked, although
they were hardly responsible for the country’s economic woes. Chinese workers,
for instance, were not assaulted, although they take tens of thousands of jobs
from South Africans. What’s more, some migrants are being attacked who are
actually creating jobs for native South Africans (for example, by opening their
own shops). But no looting has been seen in stores owned by Pakistanis or other
South Asians. Thus, other explanations need to be considered.
Version no. 2. The attacks on foreigners are a way
to destabilize the country. There are also good arguments in favor of this
version.
First, the attacks seem to follow a
consistent pattern, with a similar scenario unfolding even in different cities.
Second, many media outlets have taken
an active role in inciting hatred toward foreigners.
Some newspapers have published
inflammatory headlines and photos. The massive campaign to «Photoshop» these
events is fueling both hatred and fear. Photos taken several years ago, in Côte
d’Ivoire and other countries, showing victims being killed and burned alive are
being published as though those events were taking place in South Africa today.
One other detail is worth noting. From the very beginning almost every media
outlet has categorically labeled the unrest as a manifestation of «xenophobia».
No other view is being circulated. It is very rare to see such unanimity
throughout the media.
Third, note should be made of the role
of a few leading politicians, who never make off-the-cuff remarks. Before the
attacks began, the Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, (2) stated that «foreigners
should pack their belongings and leave the country». The king’s words added
fuel to the fire that was already burning. It is no coincidence that the
attacks have been most widespread in the province of KwaZulu-Natal -- the Zulu Kingdom.
Fourth and finally, technology has
played a key role in orchestrating the hysteria. Many millions of text messages
were sent out across the country, encouraging the attacks and causing large
numbers of people to flee. The messages included fake warnings, alleging that
armed groups were on their way to certain areas. Clearly it was not the
dispirited and unemployed masses who were responsible for that. So this
version, suggesting that hostility toward foreigners is being used to
destabilize the country, seems more plausible, based on the facts.
Hence the question: who benefits? What
internal or external forces might be interested in destabilizing South Africa?
Clearly mass unrest is not to the
government’s advantage. It might be helpful for the opposition, but unrest is a
two-edged sword that could result in the introduction of a state of emergency
or martial law, under which the opposition could be suppressed without legal
repercussions. It is unlikely that the opposition would want to see the entire
country profoundly destabilized. However, it might be of interest to one force
in South Africa that opposes the government -- the racist criminal communities (3) that exist outside any
constitutional frameworks and that have their own military camps and are
preparing for war. They might indeed have an interest in unleashing a civil war
in South Africa. There is no direct evidence implicating them in these events,
but there is one reason they cannot be ignored in the search for a culprit. And
that is the breakdown in relations between South Africa and its African
neighbors. The governments of many African countries whose citizens have been
attacked have begun evacuating their nationals from South Africa. That was
followed by angry statements from many capitals on that continent. Nigeria was
particularly indignant, recalling its ambassador and placing personal blame at
the feet of South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma. Please note: the amorphous
atmosphere of «xenophobia» was not blamed for the attacks; rather it was the
head of state who was held personally accountable. As a result, South Africa
now finds itself isolated on the continent.
Of all the theories about the causes
of the social unrest in South Africa, the most likely version points to some
outside influence on the country. One result of the tumultuous events in South
Africa has been that the country has been stripped of its moral leadership on
various initiatives in Africa, which have been the prime focus of its foreign
policy. The attacks on foreigners with roots in almost every country in Africa
have largely undermined South Africa’s economic relations with the other
countries on that continent. It resembles a large-scale special ops raid
carried out by external forces who are watching -- with unease and even hatred - the successes of pan-African
integration, as well as the economic growth of the continent’s leading
countries. South Africa has been the driving force behind those trends,
formulating the philosophical foundations of the African Renaissance (the NEPAD
program) and proposing specific programs to help Africans resolve their own
conflicts in Africa, without having to resort to «international mediators». For
example, South Africa was one of the primary sponsors behind the creation of
the African Standby Force. There is a good reason why the postponement of the
final formation of those forces, previously scheduled for December 2015, was
announced during the apex of the riots in South Africa.
The modern world has seen many
examples of a direct tie between internal unrest and external forces. Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made explicit reference to this recently when he
noted that the attacks by armed groups in Macedonia «was occurring in
conjunction with the country’s objections to the sanctions against Moscow and
its support of the plans to build Turkish Stream». (4)
We must also note the statement by
South African President Jacob Zuma, which he made after his arrival in Moscow
to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazism. Zuma
stressed that the world leaders «with whom he had met» unanimously assured him
that the problem of xenophobia and resulting mass unrest was «not just a South
African problem, but a universal one». (5) Of course, Jacob Zuma knew this
perfectly well beforehand, but the fact that he waited until his meetings in
Moscow to mention it demonstrates how much support the South African president
and government have from the heads of state who were gathered in the Russian
capital.
***
Of course the unrest and strikes in
South Africa come as no surprise to anyone. However, one cannot forget the
related tragedy in Marikana that occurred on Aug. 16, 2012. On that day the
police opened fire on striking mine workers, killing 34 and wounding 78. What’s
most odd is that there was no reason whatsoever for those shootings. There was
no threat that would necessitate the use of deadly force. The events in Marikana
have still never been explained. And they likely never will, due to the
significance of the location of the workers’ strike - the platinum mines. That
is a strategic site, not only for South Africa, but for the entire global
economy: South Africa owns the overwhelming majority of the world’s platinum
reserves. Of the 66,000 tons of platinum available on earth, 63,000 tons are
South Africa (6) (Russia holds the second largest reserves of this metal -
totaling only 1,000 tons). A special Commission of Inquiry, established by the
South African parliament, completed its work and submitted its report to the
president a few weeks ago. (7) The report is secret, but regardless of whether
it is ever published, there are foreign fingerprints on the tragedy in Marikana.
Recently, the well-known political
analyst Moeletsi Mbeki (8) compared South Africa to a bomb «waiting to
explode». (9) There have been repeated attempts to detonate this explosive. The
current blow being inflicted on South Africa is the third serious such attempt
to undermine the country since the democratic South African Republic was
established. First there was unrest in 2008 that was blamed on «xenophobia»;
then the events in Marikana occurred.
But that bomb doesn’t have to go off.
South Africa needs peace between ethnic groups and stability. The latest blow
that has sent South Africa reeling is the most powerful yet. The current unrest
is not yet over - individual incidents of violence continue. It is important
that the government understands the causes of what is happening, (10) and there
is hope that it will be able to regain control of the situation.
1) Soweto is both a
suburb of Johannesburg as well as a separate city with its own history and
traditions. It is one of the most famous «townships» in the world, with a
population of 1,200,000.
2) A direct
descendant of the famous King Shaka Zulu.
4) Lavrov pointed out
the connection between the events in Macedonia and that government’s pro-Russian policies
5) See: President
Jacob Zuma answers questions from deputies in the South African parliament’s
National Council of Provinces on May 14, 2015: President Zuma answers
questions in the NCOP
8) Moeletsi Mbeki is
the younger brother of the former South African president, Thabo Mbeki.
10) South African
Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba has spoken quite plainly on this issue.
See: Malusi Gigaba briefs media on SA Govt’s response to xenophobic attacks
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