Victim of xenophobia a Good Samaritan

Emery Kalema picked up seven academic books in a dustbin near 44 Stanley in Milpark on 24 May.

“I just wanted to help someone who, I thought, went through a painful moment and, probably, had lost all they had,” said a friendly Kalema.

Kalema is a PhD student in History at the well-known and respected Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, based at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Upon finding the books, he reported the issue to his research supervisor Professor Catherine Burns, who then contacted the University of Johannesburg as some of the books discovered belonged to their library.

It turned out that the books belonged to Gideon Chitanga a PhD in Politics and International Studies student based at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, at the University of Johannesburg.

“I don’t how the thieves accessed my flat. I believe it was locked at the time I left around 4pm. When I came back around 8pm, they had entered and stole books, my laptop, camera, money and other valuables,” Chitanga recounted.

“I was shattered – particularly because the books were borrowed from other libraries through the UJ interlibrary loan system. My computer had all my academic work, PhD and other academic projects I am working on.”

“When it happened I had a feeling that something would come up but wasn’t sure what. It felt like losing a close relative, you just feel this person will rise up again…it has been my saddest moment,” he said, relieved.

“It was such an emotional moment to know there are still good caring people out there.”

Chitanga lost three years’ worth of research that he will never get back.

“This will affect the time in which I have to finish my studies, but I will not give up. It is a challenge I will fight to overcome,” concluded Chitanga.

*Kalema was reluctant to share his experience as a victim of xenophobia stating that “It is too soon to talk about, I am still trying to work through what happened to me”.