Xenophobia in South Africa - A Different Perspective

CapeTownMagazine.com feels a personal response is needed

CapeTownMagazine.com feels a personal response is needed with regards to the recent incidents that happened around the country, which will take time to deal with.

But our team members are surprised about the news internationally.

Seeing some of the responses to the situation, domestically and internationally, we have a different perspective.

We all live here, with our Zambian, Zimbabwean, Malawian and Namibian and other African and international friends.

We live in this country, foreigners and Africans, white and black. We work together every day, live life; bad times, good times.

The world knows South Africa has not had a perfect past, we all know that, and that is exactly also why some of the most incredible positive things have happened here, that make this country work, successfully, towards the ‘more then possible’.

Contrary to what (overseas) people may be reading, this country is not in tatters. In all the drama of the last weeks, something incredibly positive became visible. In a way like never before.

But you need to see the complete picture, and have all the information. We do.

And lets be clear, it is a serious situation, but its not everyone, rather the opposite; in some places, people in townships made a front and protected the foreigners. In other townships students protested against the looters. In others, the community recovered stolen goods. Countless stories of support.

It struck our team how from Benoni to Cape Town, black, white, rich and poor, ALL backgrounds; people came out and helped.

Helped, got involved, provided shelter, and provided support, across the races, and riches; unthinkable 14 years ago.

So, let us not generalise and realise:

Where overseas, even somewhere in places in South Africa, the perspective might be this country is not getting there.

Our team has actually seen a large part of a nation coming together like never before, not even in ’94, and possibly not even a month ago.


And it moved our hearts how everyone is dedicated to tackle this. Get involved. Keep it in mind when reading newspapers.

Marcus & Team CapeTownMagazine.com