I feel absolutely disgusted about South Africans (probably the black South Africans)attacking foreigners, especially Nigerians who defended them unconditionally during the apertaid era that the country became enemy to most Western countries as a result.

Foreign residents and visitors have tales of woe to tell. South Africans are now committing crimes that were committed against them for which the whole world set them free from, and the government seems powerless to do anything to prevent the atrocities. It is a real shame.

Tayo

The deplorable xenophobic attacks raging in Gauteng Province of South Africa is disturbing. As a born-and-bred South African, with extensive international travel to over 30 countries and having stayed in Nigeria, Norway, Hong Kong, I feel ashamed and embarrassed of the latest developments. I can assure everyone that this is very un-South African. Our humaneness (ubuntu) does not have room for this thuggery. To blame all South Africans for the stupid nad moronic acts of imbeciles, is as misplaced as these acts themselves.

When our people have genuine concerns about their plight, they should dig deep why and find ways to air/vent those concerns, without inferring that foreigners are the source of these concerns. Apartheid and the “rooi gevaar” (“red danger” propaganda in reference to the communists in South Africa) was based on the same warped principle. South Africans tend to forget very quickly; we are not engaging in debates as we used to do and, recently, we tend to have less intellectual curiosity of where we come from. If you call a political meeting, few, if at all any, attend; but let there be a half-naked girl gyrating on stage and alcohol flowing, the venue is filled to capacity. Migration is an ancient phenomenon that we cannot reverse and for whatever reasons people will move from one place to another for better opportunities. What sickens me is that it is our own "ilk", fellow Africans that is bearing this senseless violence and in that madness, South Africans are also victimised. Let me relate this to: 13 or so years ago, in a taxi to Soshanguve, a township out of Tshwane/Pretoria, myself (a Muvenda - one of the South African nationalities) and my then future wife (a Muvenda with strong Sesotho background) were conversing in Tshivenda langauge and a passenger, with the driver and other passengers joining in, made disparaging comments about us being "makwerekwere" (derogatory term for foreigners of African descent) and that we came here to take South African jobs and do other unprintable things. I was accompanying my fiancée to the then Technikon Northern Transvaal. I responded in Sepedi langauge, mixing with Setswana langauge and my wife backed me up in her deep Sesotho langauge, until the driver and those irate passengers apologised. We were so incensed by such shallow thinking and stereotypes and would not let them get away with it. Who knows, what if one of them suggested to "deal" with us? Fortunately it did not happen. For the recent spate of violence against foreigners, I say, the law must take its course and all who care to listen must continue in their quest to care for each other. How many times do we learn of our own people protecting criminals within their families? Yes, some immigrants are up to no good, but generalising and reacting the way people have done in Gauteng and other provinces, is simply not right.

I feel sad and ashamed about all this. I just returned from Dakar, Senegal on Friday, the 16th and, my… oh my, I made so many friends. From taxi drivers to market women. My basic French was my passport to more friendship.

Thivhilaeli wa ha MAKATU, Johannesburg

These acts of barbarism by elements of a young democratic nation like South Africa betray what all africans are struggling to achieve globally. Will a South African be justified to complain if he/she is beaten or spat at in Los Angeles or New York? This behaviour can only remind me of the levels of ignorance in that country. Why do employers in South Africa prefer to recruit foreigners in place of local citizens? If the foreigners are more educated, then what's stopping the south africans from going to school and out compete them? This is very very shameful. I need to find somewhere to bury my head. And yet, all this problem boils down to Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, who is trying to play big headed against international opinion. We have reiterated the need for him to discard his ridiculous "quiet diplomacy" experiment towards the dictorial regime of President Robert Mugabe. Now innocent Zimabwean people are confronted with a doudle sided sword and clinging on the horns of dilemma.

We will continue to lobby the United Nations to force the South African Government to take full responsibility for its reckless foreign policy blunders towards neighbouring countries. All Zimbabweans fleeing persecution at home must be given full refugee status and treated according to UN Guidelines for the treatment of such people. Mr. Mbeki must mediate and not interfer with the democratic process in Zimbabwe. Did he get a farm or not? I am very proud to be an African but some times I find it vey difficult to be associated with my own roots, especially in very difficult times like this.