A CERTAIN group of residents in Boboyi on the South Coast has put out a warning that anyone in the area thinking of getting involved in xenophobic attacks will be killed.
While some would deem this a reasonable, if not overdue, response to the increasingly violent spate of attacks, this, of course, means that the violence will only increase, which many foreigners understand.
However, for some, there is no longer any other option, which raises the question: when do you fight fire with fire?
The gloves have come off for the Ethiopian community in Durban, who have been the worst affected by the attacks in KwaZulu-Natal, following the brutal attack of two of its members, resulting in the death of one of them.
They now say that they will not hesitate to defend themselves, even if it means using the same methods as their attackers.
Although some may take the moral high ground, you know the whole, “if you use violence then you become just like them and that’s not worth it,” speech, the simple fact of this very violent matter is that if your life is at risk then it becomes very much worth it.
And since the people who participate in the xenophobic attacks appear to have completely lost all moral sensibility, playing the moral card will be of little help to your well-being.
This is not a new dilemma faced by Africans, particularly Zimbabweans, who are currently also on the receiving end of harassment and brutal attacks.
The guerrilla war in Zimbabwe was launched when the Robert Mugabe-led Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) realised that occupying government buildings was no longer an effective way of fighting the Rhodesian Front, thus the more radical Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was formed.
The liberation struggle in South Africa followed a similar path, with organisations such as the ANC and the PAC opting for peaceful marches before they formed their respective military wings, uMkhonto we Sizwe and Poqo.
Ironically, many public figures and politicians have blamed the xenophobic attacks on the mentality created by people during the armed struggle.
Violence should never be promoted, but there’s an old saying that reads, “You can’t judge a man until you’ve walked in his shoes,” and that seems to be the most accurate way to assess the decisions made by the foreigners in this case.
