More on Xenophobia

This is how we first saw the outbreak of violence against the refugees and immigrants in our country.

What a horrifying sight!

Now scourge of xenophobia has emerged here in Cape Town!

I really hoped it might not :-(

DH and I were in the city this morning and witnessed for ourselves the queues of destitute peole waiting endlessly for their papers to be processed by an inept department.

Right in the heart of the city!

They are living right where they are queueing, under a nearby bridge, amid piles of rubbish and washing hanging on fences and bushes - too scared to go anywhere else for the night because they will lose their places in the queue.

I wish I had had my camera ready, just to give you an idea of the scene, but we came on it so suddenly. . . .
Even just driving past them, I could sense their lost hopelessness just by their body language.

Heartbreaking. . . .

And now, those same people will have the added horror of being persecuted because of their race.

And this in South Africa - by the very people who have so recently suffered the same thing at other hands.

Its bizarre!

We also heard first hand of alien workers in a local restaurant being told that if they did not leave the country by 4pm today, some of the indigenous people would kill them.

The latest news in our area is that over 200 people have gathered this evening at the Baptist church building, seeking asylum.

We are waiting to hear how we can help - as are many other people we know.

Visit http://www.five-browns.blogspot.com/ if you'd like to hear more . . . . .

But I have been told a bit about the other side of the story by someone I trust.

This is her take:

The government has, for SO long, promised the locals a better life, with houses and jobs but nothing has improved for them.

Now all they see is that foreign nationals are taking their jobs, homes and women.

Frustration, jealousy and rage has exploded.

It is a very difficult situation - it needs the wisdom of God to find a way forward.

But, in the meantime, nothing excuses what is going on here right now

And nothing excuses the lack of evident leadership from the top people in our country either.

Tomorrow if I post at all, it will be something light hearted and absolutely frivilous. . . .

Promise...

(I need that, even if you don't!)