I am a Zimbabwean woman. I came to South Africa in 2007 to look for a job since the situation in Zimbabwe so bad. I was married but my husband passed away in 2003. Since then, life as a widow and single mother was so hard for me. That is why I decided to come to South Africa, where I was thinking my problems would be solved. I started working in 2007 here in South Africa as a cleaner – doing housekeeping. Everything was going well for me. I was managing to send money back home until 2008 when things changed in South Africa. There was Xenophobia – the hatred of different cultures. In South Africa, the Black South Africans are the ones being Xenophobic to other non South African Black people (ex. other Africans).
Where I was staying was cool but after two days we were fearing what we saw on TV in other places – In Johannesburg and other places, people were being burned and beaten, their things were being stolen. Then we started moving to the churches and other White people’s places because they were waiting for us by the road and wanting to help. I had nowhere to go but there was a White lady who drove by and asked me if me and my friends had somewhere to go. Then we went to her place. But in Masiphumele where I live, no one was hurt. Then after two days it was over in Masiphumelele, but some people promised that after the World Cup, there would be Xenophobic violence. I thought it was just a joke, but then this year there were more serious threats that after the World Cup Black South Africans will chase us Black non-South Africans back to our countries – or they will fight.
So what I am thinking is that they were scared that other non South African international visitors would not come to watch soccer if there was fighting in South Africa, so that is why they said we will be chased out after the World Cup.
Once, when I was in a commuter taxi, I was sitting in front and the driver thought I was South Africa. When he understood that I am not South African he was cross (angry) that I sat in the front because he didn’t want non-South Africans in the front of his taxi. He was promising to beat us non South Africans after the World Cup but then I said “You better be strong because I will beat you too!” and the people on the taxi started laughing at us. In the last few months, Black South Africans from the Khayelitsha township have been selling rubber whips – they call them imvobu – to beat non-South Africans. I then decided to buy my own one so if one or two people try to beat me, I will try to beat them back, but if they are many, I will run away. About ten days ago, I heard that a group of people were threatening non South Africans where I live. This was just after Uruguay beat South Africa in South Africa’s 2nd World Cup game – I am told they said “We are beaten, you must go now” but that people refused to go and soldiers came and everything stopped. Now, there are soldiers and policemen all around Masiphumelele and where I am staying some landlords refused to take rent money and told people to pay after the World Cup or after Xenophobic violence breaks out because maybe those people will have to leave the houses they are renting because they will be going back to their own countries. I think it will be okay here for some days, but I’m worried that after the international visitors leave South Africa after the World Cup, the police will just ignore the threats and not look after us.
Anonymous for Yenza (Copyright Yenza 2010)
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