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Africa day & xenophobia: Reminder to the ungrateful and forgetful South Africans
Freeman Chari
May 25, 2008

Perhaps on the 15th of April 1958, the South African struggle had not grown to the heights of interacting with those across the continent and this day might not mean anything to them. Indeed even Nelson Mandela by then had never left South Africa for any country; yet Kenneth Kaunda, Joshua Nkomo and Kamuzu Banda had already crossed the oceans to petition the British monarchy against the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. They, together with us understand the symbolism of this date as the day when Africa cast the first stone towards freedom from domination and exploitation. We forgive the South Africans because they were not yet born!

On the 25th May 1963, we witnessed the launch of a new and invigorated dispensation with a drive towards total emancipation of the continent- the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Robert Resha, Gaur Radebe, Joe Mathews and Peter Molotsi were there too. Mandela is still alive, I challenge him to explain to his fellow countrymen why he had to go to Ethiopia. I challenge him to tell the whole nation of South Africa what Kaunda, Nyerere and Haile Selassie pledged for the liberation of South Africa?

Maybe the sweetness of sugar and the comfort of blinding glow of Eskom's electricity has shut your heads to the trying times of apartheid in your country. It is human to forget; for even the greatest fighters of our time like Mugabe too have forgotten the essence of our struggle as Africans. In case you have forgotten, let me give you a few hints and reminders; maybe you will wake from your brainless coma.

I will start with the money that assisted in the fortification of the Umkhonto we Sizwe which since 1961 had remained just a figment of a few in ANC. Nelson Mandela was given non-refundable, no-strings- attached financial assistance by a number of African leaders in 1963 to assist the MK. In Tunisia, President Bourguiba gave him £5000 and offered to train MK soldiers; President Tubman of Liberia gave him $5400 whilst Sekou Toure of Guinea gave him a suitcase of money with an undisclosed amount in local currency. Why did these people, thousands of kilometres away from South Africa choose to show such support to the South African cause?

To those of you, who had not yet been born, ask your elders what Nova Katenga was. What was Quibaxe, Funda, Fazenda, Pango or Caculama? Did Angola ever ask for compensation or payment for offering you the bases to train and claim your own country? They inured decades of civil war at the instigation of your colonial masters simply because they felt for you: today they are nothing but troublesome makwerekwere disturbing you from enjoying the fruits of your hard-won independence? You brood of ungrateful vipers!

Do you people remember how much discomfort you caused us? Because of you people, for four years since 1981 southern Angola was occupied by South African Defence Forces (SADF). Because of you people a SWAPO refugee camp at Kassinga was attacked and over 600 innocent lives were lost. Because of you unappreciative people Zimbabwe was bombed more than seven times for sheltering exiles like Paul Brickfield, Joe Gqabi, Joan Brickhill and Thabo Mbeki. Because of you people we lived in poverty and constant fear; not once did we ever run after your throats.

I can go on and on but today is the day for you to reminisce and heretofore change your ways. We thought you only forgave your enemies but as it is you simply metamorphose into the champions of their struggle against African prosperity. By slaughtering fellow Africans you have demonstrated to the whole world how confused and barbaric you are. You have lost the dignity of an African, you have lost the human face of African, you are not Africans but a manifestation of satan's angels. A disgrace to us!

Mend your ways.

*Freeman Chari is Secretary General for the Zimbabwe Youth Movement

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