Criminality can not be labelled on one nation, we would be untrue to ourselves

By Darlington Taste

Firstly I would like to acknowledge the President of the Republic of SA, Honourable Cyril Ramaphosa, the Minister of Home Affairs, the governmental leaders, the army, the police force, all political parties and movements, different organisations, churches, the entire national of SA, the Zimbabwean Community in SA and all other foreign nations like me.

As a concerned Zimbabwean, I do not belong to any movement or party. I have no intentions to fight the present government nor challenge any other movement. This is a call for peace and unity over the current situation with foreign nationals.

Out of my own personal convictions as an Agent Of Change, I hereby submit my personal opinions and thoughts towards the current situation with foreign nationals in order for us to experience change in SA.

I respect some of the views and thoughts brought on the table by the leader of Dudula Movement Nhlanhla Lux. We understand their frustrations and the people represented:

1. SA must come first in everything.
2. SA to be considered first for jobs.

I see these as Home Affairs matters which are emerging from the ground and there’s a ministry authorised by the government to deal with that.

These are great thoughts to put South Africans first in all matters eg at work, business or investments.

However, we also believe there is the right channel and protocol to be followed for all these matters to be handled in the right way without violence and loss of lives. This mustn’t be used as a tool to create hate amongst African people particularly between the people of Zimbabwe and South Africa.

This will lead to friction in relationships between South Africa and many other nations which may jeopardize the economy of South Africa.

We love South Africans and we don’t see them as different from us because SA is a rainbow nation encompassing many tribes and cultures.

We believe SA is not an island but it is a country interdependent to other countries. We believe the above matters my President, Minister of Home Affairs and Dudula Movement leadership that this can be handled in a peaceful manner.

We believe that you are wise enough to handle this in a better way and protect and avoid violence and hate within our communities.

Matters concerning foreign nationals has to deal with the current national policies and labour laws, policies concerning work permits and acquiring of permanent residence.

Currently, it is only one nation out of all the nations represented in SA categorised as foreign nationals ie Zimbabwe yet there are Americans, Europeans, Asians, Australians, Brazilians and other African nationals in SA.

Why Zimbabwe has been put on the spotlight and be the only nation out of all those labelled as ‘foreigners’.

South Africans are also in several nations in Africa and abroad.

Some words uttered recklessly on social media incite violence, hate and division amongst our people.

Sometimes certain statements are proclaimed and declared in the streets in the name of South Africans on the ground are saying whereas it is a certain group pushing their own agenda and trying to shape people’s minds in a certain manner and not all masses of South Africans are in agreement with those statements.

A very, very small percentage of South Africans are in agreement with the violence, the searchs, the asking of ID’s, chasing foreigners (even the ones with documents), killing of Elvis Nyathi, the injuries of those both in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Our hearts go to the family of Elvis Nyathi. Our sincere condolences and we pray the Lord strengthen you in such times.

We also choose to forgive those who took the life of Elvis Nyathi, we do not say this because we can but we ask the Lord to help us forgive and move on because we cannot and will never fight our own.

It is illegal for anyone of us to take the law in our hands and approach foreigners anyhow. Today foreigners live in fear and are very insecure. It’s not every foreigner that’s working in SA.

Let us as South Africans remember that a good percentage of the investments in South Africa are foreign based, another good percentage of the companies we are demanding jobs from are foreign owned and these investors are watching.

Some of the Zimbabweans have invested greatly into this economy in mining, IT, banking, construction, telecommunications, transport, education, property, health, filming etc

There are some structures that have benefited the locals built by foreigners eg some charities, old people’s homes, widows, orphanages etc.

Other nations are watching how we treat our people. South Africans are not xenophobic in natur,e and we refuse that.

Should there be any foreign nationals who are not documented and who are involved in criminal activities, let the perpetrators be arrested.

However, let’s not label Zimbabwe alone as a criminal nation because our prisons have a great percentage of South Africans and other nations arrested for different crimes.

Criminality can not be labelled on one nation, we would be untrue to ourselves. Undocumented foreigners must be deported and criminals must be arrested but this is the duty of the South African Police Service.

Should there be anyone with info that can be used as evidence or tip off, then they should alert the nearest Police Station and allow the Police to do their work.

Zimbabwe and South Africa has had great relationships in the past and continue to have that. South Africa has allowed intermarriage between Zimbabwe and South Africa and other nations.

Many inter-marriages amongst SA and other nations.

We also know very well that the late Nelson Mandela was married to a wife from Mozambique. How are we going to hate and deport Mozambicans when you married there. How do we now send Mozambicans back if some of them are your in laws?

We are all Bantu people, African people, with one African language. How come these foreigners are:

1. Black only

2. Zimbabwean only

Let there be equality of all people. We love our brothers and sisters from South Africa, we love all parties, we love the Operation Dudula Movement Brothers and Sisters yet our call to them is one.

Let’s have peaceful talks and let the proper channel and protocol be followed.

Please do not voice your anger to foreigners on the streets. Some of the words and violence being said and done to foreigners are responses to politics. It’s anger directed to the wrong audience and every Zimbabwean is now a victim.

Why should Zimbabwe be the one to take those punches.

In conclusion, no country can stand as an island. All countries are interdependent. It is teamwork that makes the dream to work.

Words like “Maba Fokafe” let it not be on our statuses, we can’t twit such messages or put such messages on our pages…

Should all foreigners leave SA, then this nation will still realize that they can’t make it alone. Let’s encourage and rather enforce through the proper law structure.

It would be my desire to sit down with the right authorities and work out the right plan to resolve this matter.

Let SA unite and I hope the President of this country will hear our plea and cry as the people of Zimbabwe and other foreign nationals and the leader of Operation Dudula Movement.

Darlington Taste is an  Entrepreneur | Speaker | Leader popularly known as the Agent Of Change.

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