(Produced for the current issue of the Bulletin & Record, Zambia)
Faced with political persecution and economic exclusion hundreds and, eventually, thousands of South Africans escaped, from the 1960s onwards, to neighbouring states or even as far afield as Nigeria and Ghana. There were, so far as I am aware, no reports of any xenophobic violence; we were welcomed even if, at times, a little warily.
I say we because I first sought refuge in Zambia when I feared being arrested again by the security police. Especially since they had detained one of the comrades with whom I had been working on an underground publication that fell squarely within the ambit of the so-called “Sabotage Act” and its five-year minimum prison term.
Having spent nearly two months in solitary confinement and having undergone interrogation, I had no wish to repeat the experience. So I made my way to Zambia where, among Zambians from every walk of life, I was welcomed. It was much the same, I discovered in later years among ordinary citizens in Kenya, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. And the same applied to other exiles whenever we came into contact. The only criticism I recall from a Zambian friend in the early years: “What’s wrong with you South Africans? You seem to be better at talking and singing than fighting.”
That was at the time when one of our number was kidnapped from Lusaka by apartheid security agents and my extradition was demanded. Zambia, at governmental level, promptly intervened. President Kenneth Kaunda not only refused the extradition, he also announced that he was seeking refuge for me further afield.
And when the then quite recently installed Labour Party government in Britain agreed to have me, it was Zambia that provided the air fare. So it was that I ended up in London with another group of exiles, including Thabo Mbeki and the Pahad brothers, Essop and Azziz who became part of post apartheid governments.
I was fortunate. As a journalist I had a fairly high profile. Quite apart from any other considerations, I could not easily disappear without questions being asked. The same did not apply to many others who fled. But, almost without exception, the reception received by all of us in the countries of exile was welcoming. When there were problems, it is was all too often because of the bad behaviour of a few of our countrymen, a number of whom were involved in various businesses.
It is against this history that I feel great shame at the xenophobic filth that has again risen to the surface of our proclaimed democratic and supposedly humane society. I feel like demanding: Do not forgive us, for know exactly what we do.
Cape Town, South Africa-based journalist commentator and author specialising in political and economic analysis and labour matters. 
Terry Bell Writes 
andyc37
April 19, 2015
Thank you for this thought provoking article. It is indeed shameful the way an element of South African society are treating those who have moved to SA to seek better lives.
Terry Bell
April 19, 2015
Thank you Andy.
Koos Bezuidenhout
April 20, 2015
Dear Terry
I am appalled and sad to be a South African! We are trying very hard from a labour and union perspective to bring unity amongst all of us – regardless of race, colour or creed. If it is true, as stated by reports from news coverage from interviews by these participants of the violence against other Africans and other foreign refugees, that the current violence is as a result that foreigners are taking the jobs away from South Africans, is the answer not obviously lying insofar as that we must not attack them, but our government’s policies of red-tape and stifling opportunities to enlarge the scope of small and medium businesses to employ more staff.
However, we often receive reports from our structures that South African applicant’s feel that they are “entitled to more financial reward” than the foreigners, merely because it is “their” country! This is said regardless of the South Africans’ skills and experience in many of these jobs. Who would an employer rather employ: a skilled or unskilled worker? The answer, which we don’t want to hear, is self-explanatory. Therefore, as a start to this crises, the obvious answer lies in our skills shortage dilemma.
In addition, it is often said and remarked by analysts and researchers of the labour environment in SA that some of the SA-born employees tend to abandon their working places more often than those foreign workers (this is not validated as a statement) – who are openly and blatantly more grateful and eager to work harder for the meagre jobs and subsequent financial reward they are offered. The question, however, is why the shops and property of these “foreign service providers” are therefore also targeted? Shouldn’t an engagement, with the applicable employers in question, be instituted through proper dialogue on why the foreigners are employed instead of our South African brothers and sisters? We have some of the best negotiators or earth, why not use them? Again, the answer is not what we want to hear as those fuelling the fires and destruction want their frustrations to be heard and subsequent action to be taken to give them jobs now! And that, unfortunately, is not going to happen overnight!
So, it is easier to create an untenable and hostile environment to highlight our plight with regards to the creation of jobs and sadly, this is obviously fuelled by activists who have criminal tendencies as their priority, rather than xenophobic agendas who would rather encourage the shameful attacks on those foreigners who were happy to host us during the dark early days prior to our country being liberated! And again, the question of why do the locals burn down and destroy the very same foreign people’s property and even killed some of the owners, who in many cases provide essential services in the communities? It just doesn’t make any sense! South African citizens are not brutal nor barbaric creatures by nature! Then why do they create that image so dramatically?
I am regularly conveying a message, as an elected representative of a prominet labour federation, to our labour constituencies’ leaders and members that the “political struggle and revolution” is over and that we have a government democratically installed by the majority.
On the other hand, however, the “economic struggle and revolution” is now upon us to create a future for all of us – regardless of where we come from as Southern Africans.
We also need to ensure that those nomads, visitors or job-seekers crossing the porous borders of our incredible country are doing so legally and as per international conventions.
We must accept that we are in a global phase of our country’s development and therefore we must have a plural approach towards our future at the southern region of the African Continent. We simply are creating shameful precedents which we just cannot ignore any more.
We will starve socially, economically and politically, whatever we think of ourselves as South Africans.
We need to sit down and get to work in an entrepreneurial and accommodating spirit and be part of the productive rebirth of prosperity in Southern Africa!
Koos
Valérie Hirsch
April 20, 2015
Dear Terry. thank you for sharing your testimony. I am a freelance journalist and would like to call you about another topic (Cosatu). Would you mind sending me your number ?
Valérie Hirsch, Deutsche welle radio, Joburg 083 750 77 25 – 011 784 72 98 – valou.hirsch@gmail.com
thanks a lot
Valérie
Terry Bell
April 20, 2015
Thanks Koos. Will reply at length later. In the meantime, hope you don’t mind me using some of your comments.
Koos Bezuidenhout
April 20, 2015
Not at all Terry!
Horst Kleinschmidt
April 21, 2015
I feel the shame you feel. I also felt the warmth in exile you felt. We were not even under threat when one of our exile cars collided with and killed a Tanzanian Prime Minister – sometime in the 80’s.
What can we do? I walked along Main Road to hand a note to every DRC car guard and gave them my tel number in case they were attacked or abused in any way. I also had a discussion with our domestic help to gain her assurance that she and her family (in Masi) do not feel hostility to foreign nationals in their community. She assured me that such feelings are not on the rise in Masi (as far as she knew), but the car guard I know best, came to tell me that a rumour made the rounds on Monday that taxi drivers were planning attacks – but nothing came of it. Rumours are injurious also!
Horst
Terry Bell
April 22, 2015
I think, Horst, that we are all compelled to do everything we can against the minority of bigots and thugs who carry out these acts and to highlight those responsible for encouraging such behaviour.
obspoliceforum
April 23, 2015
Terry, you are right. But the appeals to remember the role of other countries, and their people in the fight against apartheid, or moral outrage, is not, regrettably going to have any impact on those who are instigating the violence and those who carry it out. As in the early 1990’s and 2008, as well as other under reported incidents, a core problem is the hostel system and our failure to deal with it. We are all aware of the dehumanising environment that the majority of hostel dwellers live in and the consequences of life there. There are other necessary much longer solutions, including the eradication of poverty (it does not necessary change the way people think, but impacts on the way they act), but the hostels would be a good medium term focal point.
Terry Bell
April 23, 2015
I agree. But for a generation that was not aware of solidarity during the apartheid years, it seemed a good time for a reminder. It is also not just the hostel system; the enire farce of declaring that 1994 signalled a level playing field for all was disastrous. If you recall, the hostels were supposed to be a priority focus 20 years ago but, like so much, little was done to change these and other horrendous conditions.
obspoliceforum
April 26, 2015
Thanks for the response. What has not been done, now needs as much pressure to make it happen.