Africa
South Africa’s xenophobia claims ten Somali traders in five days
June 19, 2012 · 18 Comments
Somali shopkeeper on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa (HOL/Photo)
NAIROBI — South African bandits have assaulted and killed ten traders of Somali origin in their shops in less than a week in an unprecedented wave of xenophobia attacks, Shabelle Media reported.
Somali immigrants living in the former apartheid nation told the Mogadishu-based radio station that armed extortion groups robbed the Somali shopkeepers before slaying them. They confirmed to Shabelle on Tuesday that all ten were murdered in the past five days alone.
They said the Somali community was both shocked and terrified over the brutality of the crimes which many say pointed to racially motivated attacks.
They said xenophobia toward non-South Africans was again rising in the rainbow nation, especially toward migrant workers and traders from Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Many of the Horn of Africa communities say South African mobs often tell them to leave their country because they are not black.
A Somali businessman speaking on condition of anonymity said the Somali community has requested police protection but that they only made promises. Many immigrants have little faith in South Africa’s security forces citing the fact that police too often look on while they are attacked.
Somali community leaders have reportedly also approached various security departments appealing for urgent intervention.
Local groups believe the growing influx of foreign workers and asylum seekers — thousands monthly by some expert estimates — mainly from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea exacerbates the already tense racial and ethnic relations in South Africa.
Many South Africans fear newcomers will take over their jobs, townships, businesses and eventually their country. They already complain about Somali immigrants for their business acumen claiming that they are hard to compete with. Across many parts of Sub-Sahara Africa, Somali businesses have became a target.
The number of violent attacks Horn of African communities peaked in 2010, when up to 5 were killed each month.That number has dropped significantly but the Somali community is scared it might re-emerge again. According to the Somali community, more than 750 Somalis have been murdered in South Africa in the last decade — translating to 75 been killed every year.
The station also reported that at least twenty shopkeepers have been robbed and ransacked just two weeks ago.
Like many South Africans in particular during the apartheid period, the worst form of racism is also claiming the lives of many innocent Somalis who came to the rainbow nation for better opportunities. It is worth knowing that during the time when Somalis had a government, they stood with South Africans against racism. The Somali government blocked its air space to the apartheid government. They were also fought for a free South Africa diplomatically chairing the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid from 1969 to 1972 under ambassador Abdulrahim Abby Farah.
Somalilandpress
June 19, 2012
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South African Racist Blacks wow never thought I would see it, "may you live in interesting times" and all that……
Fight Back! If you allow others to pu nk you then you deserve to be buggered! Have one of those fire torches they used against the japanese beneath the counter and anytime some sankadudi comes around trying to steal your goods burn him to a crisp!
That will teach them to have respect for others!
I can not agree with you more.
its not that hard to find a gun, your in africa, protect yourself!
who teach you that ? it is more easy to find a gun in america than in some part of africa you idiot !!
Firstly, may Allah have mercy on all the traders who have been murdered in their shops….aaamiiin.
The black s/african gov. has failed their people and forced them to live under the bread line. East african migrants need to understand this and somehow give back to black s/africans in the way of charity programs, soup kitchens, employment etc. We east/afrcans cannot continue to just take, take, take, from some of the most deprived, destitute people on earth.
Sadly, we failed to build truly democratic peaceful countries in our own horn of africa nations and have instead found hell in s/africa.
In the UK in the 1970s & 80s, the white racists – who were the majority – used to chase us thru the streets beating and killing us. However, the 2nd generation west indian immigrants thru their jamaican reggae, ska, fashion, etc turned the tide against the racists who soon enough become the supporters of black people. Why? Because they gained some benefit from the immigrants. When S/africans see the e/african traders bringing benefits to them, then inshallah the tide will also change in s/africa.
I think Somalis are more racist so they have no say in this regard. Your the one that's denying a brother from Mogadishu to do as he wishes in Hargeisa. Your the one that labels a Somali from Hargeisa qaldaan and other derogatory names. Your the one in Bosasso kicking people from Baidabo out and accusing them of terrorism.
Your the one that ultimately destroyed your homeland and came to South Africa bare naked.
Deal with it and shut up!
If South Africans were travelling in the opposite direction, I am certain you would have sold half of them to the Arabs for slavery like the Bantu nation.
Get along in your own land first before you cry about a foreign soil.
South Africans we are no threat to you but lets work together—we are sorry that there is a misunderstanding. These refugees ruined their nation but I am certain they can learn to be peaceful from your rainbow nation.
Bunch of nomads, crying wherever they go. Whatever they do, crying, whatever they establish, crying.
Kayse why don't you kill yourself ?
You either stick to your people or found
An adoptive ethnic group !
Let's first agree that Somalis are successful because South Africans buy from them. Poor South Africans have a choice, they choose to buy from the Somali stores because they provide a better value. The Somalis arrive with nothing and yet manage to build better businesses than South African traders. How bad are the South African traders that they can't compete with people who arrive "bare naked"? Why should the poor in South Africa pay inflated prices to the South African traders when the Somalis have shown that it can be done better? Instead of crying foul and killing and burning, the South Africans should learn from the Somalis.
Its widely accepted that Somalis are the most entrepreneurial people in the African continent and I don't think many Africans can learn directly from us because its cultural thing in most cases. See we are nomads, we move from place to place and we always restart from zero–so we are used to it. We are always in search and never fixed to one place.
I have spoke to non-Somali Africans trading in China and they told me 80% of the Africans trading in China are Somalis so I guess South Africans should follow us around.
Its not only the South Africans who are attacking us; also Kenyans, Mozambicans, they all cant keep up. One Kenyan guy goes "I hate Somalis but they are very good with business".
Right now Somalis run multinational companies in many eastern African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and even South Sudan.
Somalis now own petroleum companies in such locations importing and export crude oil and natural gas while some are building multi-million dollar malls. For example this Somali lady who runs luxury resorts in Uganda announced $25 million mall in Kampala. Hass Petroleum now runs operations in six countries.
South Africans are our people and we see them as been robbed like the Aboriginals of Australia. They should focus their energy in creating harmony among all Africans not killing us. We will get their country back from the Asians and Europeans eventually, we did that in Kenya—why not in SA?
Who is better for you Somali trader or an Indian?
The Somalis living in S Africa should take note from the Somalis living in Kenya. If you want to get along with these blacks and stop killing you you must employ them.
Bantu ???? pas touches somali
Lol you killing me bro' ! Speak english this
Is not Djibouti !
What the brotha is sayin' in French is: Bantu (aka Abraham's peepz), hands off Somalis.
Do your thang homeboy! Reppin' well on the West side. Now you know.kkkkkkkkkkk
My advice to Somalis is go back home and rebuild your nation. Forget about the land of AIDS and rapists. What do you expect from a country where a former president proclaimed AIDS does not exist and an incumbent president is accused of rape!
Poor Somalis, you do not understand something called social capital when doing business.You are talented but you are going to face problems doing business in Africa because there are more talented communities in Africa like the Igbo and Kikuyu who are just as good in business. My advise, embrace Africans as your brothers, stop being delusional and arrogant. You claim you are so good you are even driving Kenyan Indians out of business but how many Kenyans are running businesses in Nairobi? If you are that good why can’t you even build a country and get your people from poverty and famine. By the way, there are over 200,000 Africans in China and 80% are Nigerians not Somalis.
Somalia traders have a disregard for the way we blacks live and trade in our country. Personally I wouldn’t mind sharing our space with them, if they can only realise that their actions are causing hardship for a lot of traders,it also give the impression that SA are stupids.
Reading the comments I can hardly believe the racisim and xenophobia express by the same people that is complaining about us SA.having read a few articles including comments here it is said that Somalian come to SA without money and make a success. On the contrary, they come and immediatly spend about R100,00.00 most of our informal businesses don’t have that money.They(somalia’s) pay suppliers not to deliver at the locals,while they stop all our supliers and buy from them.They also make friends with druggies and use them to lure customers to them.As soon as the local operators close they increase their prices. It is unfortuanit that our people don’t learn from the Somalia’s.
If you take a street of fifteen houses with four shops,who is making a profit? You even find that you have two shops in one street of the same Somalia owner. In our community we have two to three shops in every street in our community, and I mean every street, selling the same products and yet there is a demand for other commodities eg
butcher,vegatables.I think the somalia’s must learn to respect the locals and learn not to force themselfs upon us and use unscruplis ways of doing business.
Like one comment mentioned somalia’s must learn to employ locals and not harbour three illegal somalia,s and let them work for food, some of them don’t even know what the street look like.(The illegals)
Now! A question from me “why always man? Where is the woman” why marry druggies in SA for citizenship”
Please there is a lot more then the eyes can seem.”Xenophobia se voet” pls note we have the pakistanis, Bangladash and the Egypsons to compete with as well. Will you allow this to happen in your country without raising your voice?
I wish that I can meet Ali, I wouldn’t mind having a businessman like him next to mine, I also want to say that I don’t condone the killing of somalia’s in SA.Ali I’m sure we,SA and somalia,s can meet each other halfway. And share what God give us.