BEFORE YOU INCITE VIOLENCE AGAINST SOUTH AFRICANS by Olarewaju Olaniyi

“Economic downturns have moral consequences: as people feel insecure and unhappy, charitable donations fall, nepotism, racism and other forms of intolerance and close-mindedness arise, and with them anti-democratic forces.” :---- Benjamin Friedman

1. We cannot repay violence by violence, you can't right injustice by embarking on the same injustice you are complaining against and two wrongs will not make a right. I understand how bitter our people feel watching footage of the terror unleashed on foreigners in South Africa especially African migrants; we have seen the abundance of hate not only in words but also in deeds. They kill, maim and loot at will, all in the name of foreigners taking their jobs.

2. The people carrying out this dastard acts are the same people who will tell you terrorist will rot in hell, so now i ask myself, who is a terrorist? Those animals in human skin in South Africa forgot that a terrorist is not only someone who tries to hijack a plane to prove a religious point, they forgot that a terrorist is not only someone who blows up people, they forgot terrorist is not only a person or a group of persons who perpetuate violence against civilians or a State in defence or propagation of whatever extreme ideology they subscribe to, they forgot a terrorist is not only a religious fundamentalist.

3. Dear South Africans, terror is terror and it is the use of overwhelming fear, coercive apparatus, threats, or violence especially against civilians or government in pursuit of political goals, propagation of religious belief or any other course a person or a group of persons believes/believe in. Dear South Africans, my dictionary tells me that anyone* who engages in or perpetuate the act of terror is a "Terrorist". The reality today in South Africa is turning for the worse; a youth unemployment rate of about 25 percent, an economy growing at less than 2% and a falling currency value is enough to stimulate harsh response from citizens, especially in a country where a lot of the citizens depend on social benefits. Of course, realities like this promote discrimination against foreigners who the blames are easily directed at, but on no occasion should such situation degenerate into the kind of horror and terror the world is witnessing in South Africa today. There is no justification for this induced terrorism, there is no explanation for it.

4. Back to the first paragraph, those “Terrorists” in South Africa decided to throw sanity into the wind, and begin to show us their terroristic* phenotype and act like every other terrorist anywhere in the world will act, the onus lies on us, not to allow ourselves be reduced to their level of insanity and loss of the absolute sense of somebodiness. We will not pay hate back with hate. Their actions are provocative but this is the time history beckons us to show maximum restraints and leadership while other mature methods are explored in arresting this sad and dark history being written in South Africa.

5. Calling for the sanction of South African businesses in Nigeria or attacking South Africa citizens, corporate interests and investments in Nigeria is not an option in this situation. We will be doing more harm than good if we also swallow the bitter pill of hate and manifest the symptoms of destruction and violence in retaliation to the unfortunate scenario playing out on the streets of South Africa. We must push our own government to act and act within the ambient of International laws and stipulations. Attacking South Africans' businesses in our own land will also send a negative signal to the world, not only that, it will erode off the now growing international confidence in our system which has been in the news for so many unpleasant reasons in the last five years. I am sure we all know what this means to the corporate world, investors and the international community who have all began to renew confidence in us after the events of March 28th.

6. The problem in South Africa is a by-product of a larger problem; the failure of leadership on our continent and the abdication of government responsibilities and duties to the citizens all over Africa. If the government in Zimbabwe is reasonable enough, today Zimbabweans will not be crossing a crocodile infested river to seek livelihood in South Africa, If common sense have prevailed in the corridor of power in Nigeria and most of other African countries, today Nigerians and other Africans will not be flooding over to South Africa in a bid to have a fair share of life and achieve their dreams. If our African governments have done the right thing, today we will have less people on the boats making dangerous and suicidal trips from Libya through the Mediterranean to Europe.

7. Instead of allowing ourselves get run over by emotions, why not ask ourselves the real questions and focus on solving problems. How many South Africans do you see leave their country? Even if they leave, they are always eager to go back home because their country gives them a fair share to a considerable extent, go to any other African country; we are all holding fasting and prayer sessions, all in desperation to leave our countries. Have we ever asked ourselves how fair life will be to us all if our own leaders could demonstrate the kind of commitment put into building South Africa as a viable economy? I don't mean the ruins Jacob Zuma and his cohorts are doing to that country today...

8. While we continue to sue for peace and demand an immediate end to the show of shame going on in South Africa, this should also re-energise us to demand better leadership from the government of our respective countries. I have learnt all along that leadership is what makes the difference, leadership decides the institutions in a country and it is the interactions of these institutions that determine whether a nation is prosperous or poor. If the institutions are bad, poverty will be prevalent, massive emigration of citizens from a country to seek better life in another is a big characteristic of a nation where institutions are bad. Now is the time to step up our demands for a better nation because if opportunities are abundant in ours, 65% of our people desperately seeking better life in other countries will stay back home and pursue a living.

9. Retaliation will do us no good; it will further escalate the situation which will spread to many other parts of Africa. South Africa is today laying a very bad precedent and writing a history their children’s children will never be proud of, while they continue to show their true colours to the world, we must prove that we can handle things differently and act more maturely. Like I said in response to some unfortunate statements credited to Mr Robert Mugabe; cutting off the head or relaxing the head on one’s palm is not the solution to an intense headache, I sincerely hope that common sense will prevail in South Africa and the people will re-direct their anger and frustrations to where they should be directed.

Olarewaju Olaniyi 2015