June 2008. George Goussard dispatch: "The xenophobic violence in SA has been very bad. There's been a lot of rubbish written in newspapers, especially by government apologists. This violence can trace back 100% to the government's unwillingness / incompetence / stupidity in not controlling the flood of millions (not hundreds of thousands) of illegal immigrants into SA.
Large numbers of criminals from all over Africa (especially Nigerians) have resettled in SA, and run illegal drug and prostitution trades.
The government has allowed the Zim situation to spiral out of control, forcing millions of hungry people over the border. These people are willing to work for peanuts, especially in the booming construction industry. Unscrupulous builders have been laying off thousands and replacing them with cheap labour foreigners. So why would South Africans not hate these people? Unemployment is horrifically high in SA, and it is poor black people who carry the burden.
Another bit of news you wont find in the newspapers is that these foreigners, now in refugee camps in SA, sometimes (often?) refuse to allow black police into the camps. They only want to deal with white policemen, because of corruption amongst black police."
I was no longer "like minded" with SINZASA (South Island NZ Association of Southern Africans). After SINZASA's 1997 Christchurch inauguration, our sons grew out of Father Christmas functions. Noisy socials didn't appeal to me anymore, as my deafness and background noise in pubs, socials, casino, dances, etc, made it impossible for me to hear properly. During early SINZASA years, I enjoyed talks by businessmen, SA Hon. Consul Gregory Fortuin, National MP Gerry Brownlee, Boer War historian...
Since our 1995 arrival, the number of black faces increased in Christchurch, including Zimbabwians and South Africans. Afrikaners also increased. Some run-ins with SINZASA committee members put me off SINZASA:
2004. Afrikaner editor of Indaba journal botched my "No to racism, yes to harmony" Asian protest article, by censoring it and editing with appalling English grammar and spelling. The editor took a year to return my Asian protest snaps to me.
2005. When I emailed an Afrikaner committee member about the "volk, taal, kerk, kultuur" stuff in Indaba, the member was touchy about it, and said he'd emigrated due to increased crime in SA. Never mind over 40 years of brutal white apartheid generating post apartheid black crime in SA.
2006/7. When I repeatedly email inquired about the appointment of Afrikaners to SINZASA committee, an Afrikaner lawyer threatened me with defamation.
Christchurch libraries had Afrikaans books, and good on Afrikaners for motivating them. Afrikaans was useful to me when I travelled overseas, but in SA apartheid state schools and Dokkies I never had the choice of not learning Afrikaans. It was forced on me, like conscription was forced on me as a formative youth. As an adult, I objected to Afrikaans and Afrikaner kultuur being foisted on me. Afrikaans and Afrikaner kultuur was forced on me for many years in SA state white schools, state controlled white conscripted army and state controlled media during apartheid. For some years I taught second language Afrikaans in KwaZulu-Natal and Cape schools. My half English, half Afrikaner mom taught English and Afrikaans in Durban schools for many years. Mom said, "Afrikaners have a national inferiority complex after losing the Boer War." She got over it.
"The Press" 28.06.08 article "South Africans head to safer shores in NZ" said, "...The number of South Africans granted residency in New Zealand has remained reasonably stable over the past eight years at about 3700 a year.
However, the number granted work permits has jumped from 1758 in 1999/2000 to 6547 in 2007/8."
Work permit holders tried to secure work for NZ permanent residence visa points.
The way SA and Zimbabwe were going, with mouse Mbeki squeaking around clown Mugabe, while Matabele mass murderer Mugabe stole the Zim presidential election from Tsvangirai, in future I expected more Southern Africans would arrive in Christchurch. If 7 degreed Mugabe messed up Zimbabwe so quickly, what would standard 3 Zuma do with SA?
While mass murderer Mugabe cocked his serial president snoot amongst Sharm-el-Sheikh African Union "freedom fighters," I'd be surprised if African and Arab "freedom fighters" had the courage to arrest Mugabe snoot cocker and send him to The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity, like Matabele massacres during the early 80s; white commercial farmer murders and dispossession without redress; impoverishment and starvation of Zimbabwe citizens; making millions of Zim citizens homeless, stateless refugees; making a mockery of free and fair democratic elections, by state murders, violence and intimidation of Zim citizens.
The good news: Springbok Radio had restarted - on the internet.
Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
Monday, June 16, 2008
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