South African NPOs and NGOs must take the proverbial road to Damascus regarding the issue of foreigners living in South Africa who unduly enjoy benefits that rightfully belong to local folks.
The proverbial “Road to Damascus” I am alluding to here stems from the Biblical story of one Saul, who used to persecute Christians of yore but met his “moment of truth” on his way to a village known as Damascus in the Middle East, on which he was going to persecute Christians and eliminate them just because they were Christians and adhered to the belief and teachings of Jesus, who was affectionately called Christ by his avalanche of supporters.
The said Saul was acting in terms of the laws which were in existence in his village/ country at that time.
But according to the Holy Bible he was “visited upon” by God who compelled him to stop persecuting Christians; and the selfsame Saul immediately became a chief advocate of Christianity after undergoing “reincarnation” on his way to Damascus and was renamed Paul.
Like the aforementioned Biblical Saul, various NPOs, NGOs, leaders, political parties and individuals in South Africa are enforcing the existing rules and laws which are embedded in the country’s Constitution regarding the amazing issue of illegal foreigners staying in this country willy-nilly.
These aforesaid entities prophess that they are following what is written in the Constitution of South Africa irrespective of whether the said laws are biased against some sections of the local South African community, mainly the Coloureds and Blacks who were born in this country and are still disadvantaged and discriminated against in terms of access to wealth and jobs.
Like charismatic “born-again” preachers who would punch the Holy Bible and passionately declare that what they are saying is true because it has been written in the Holy Bible, NPOs and NGOs together with the said leaders, political parties and individuals who defend “the rights” of foreigners always walk out of the courtrooms of this country triumphantly after defeating the South African government and blow their own trumpet while emphasising that “it is written in the Constitution; foreigners have the right to stay here in South Africa despite having entered South Africa illegally and being undocumented.”
No regard is given to how Coloureds and Blacks feel about the way foreigners are taking away from them simple jobs like being a garden boy, plumber, radio DJ, TV presenter, driver, cook, cleaner, messenger, waiter and security guard.
And some of these NPOs and NGOs use the preamble of the Constitution which erroneously says South Africa belongs to all who live in it.
First, a preamble is not an enforceable act of the Constitution; it is a mere statement of intent; a mere ambition which is not practical because this is tantamount to saying if I happen to find myself in your yard then your yard belongs to me too, even if I came into your yard as a trespasser.
This notion that South Africa belongs to all who live in it stems from the ANC’s Freedom Charter which was adopted in 1956, at a time when Coloureds and Blacks were trying to point out to the then oppressive Apartheid regime that the country belongs to all South African-born people living in it during that time of Apartheid.
This didn’t mean South Africa would, after the implementation of the post Apartheid democratic dispensation suddenly belong to anyone who would miraculously find themselves being in this country after escaping by sheer luck the wrath of the crocodiles and other cruel animals which are denizens of the Limpopo River.
This brings me to the assertion that even animals like crocodiles do protect their own territory, and anyone who ventures into their territory would literally be eaten up without an appeal to some court of law.
Yet some “high-thinking, high reasoning philosophical and African wisdom inspired human beings in South Africa don’t see the need to shut down our porous border in order to protect the Coloured and Black communities.
They are worse than animals in terms of making sure that one’s territory is protected at all costs.
The above-mentioned self-appointed custodians and guardians of Coloured and Black people’s reaction towards the evident invasion of foreigners into the townships and rural areas of this country is shambolic and they would then go on to quote some modern and Ancient African philosophers in an attempt to exhort all and sundry to accept foreigners into this country without objection.
These philosophical advocates who subscribe to the belief that foreigners must live together with Coloureds and Blacks in township and rural areas don’t live with these foreigners in their own neighbourhoods.
They are making those who live in townships and rural areas the guinea pigs of how it would look like if foreigners lived in South Africa among the poor masses and not live among them in the suburbs.
Coloureds and Blacks of this country are victims of a failed “scientific experiment” for which no one would claim responsibility now that the chips are down and the said experiment resembles the proverbial Frankenstein’s monster.
Be that as it may, if the aforesaid influential people don’t embark upon the said road to Damascus before it is too late, then history and the court of Public Opinion will judge them harshly.
My assertion here is that like the Biblical Saul, their actions would in the long run be adjudged to be immoral, criminal and reckless.
Though they might not be taken to court as in the case of the Nuremberg trialists who committed genocide acts against the Jews, present and forthcoming South African Coloured and Black children will judge them harshly for making them easy prey to foreigners.
And again I say though these NGOs, NPOs, political parties and their leaders are evidently enforcing what has been written in the Constitution to the detriment of Coloured and Blacks, I would like to remind them that Apartheid era policemen also used to say they were merely enforcing the laws of that time, but today some of them are being prosecuted for applying those selfsame apartheid laws which led to them killing the “Cradock 4,” namely Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlawuli.
It is amazing to realise that all government departments at national, provincial and Municipal level have foreigners in their employ while Coloured and Black graduates are sitting at home earning R370 SRD grant.