“Say amakwerrre-kwerrre,” I was told by a domestic worker I interviewed. As if by properly rolling my tongue, her correction of my pronunciation would enable me to express the requisite hatred and anger towards foreigners.
This is the unthinking reality that confronts thousands of refugees who flee to South Africa in the hope of attaining a better life for themselves. They are everywhere. Congolese, Nigerians, Somalis, Burundians, Zimbabweans, Angolans. Say bonjour to a car guard on the streets of Durban, Cape Town or Johannesburg and you will more than likely get a stunned ça va (how are you)?
Yet what they hear in their countries about life in South Africa is a blatant lie. Many flee war, persecution, oppression, hunger and a lack of opportunities only to discover a life which does little to provide any form of relief.
Xenophobia, oppression, physical and verbal abuse and crime are some of the issues that confront refugees in South Africa.
In trying to maintain the level of my French, I frequently speak to Congolese car guards. One particular individual with whom I have developed a friendship, Michel, often provides me with interesting conversations about his life.
Like most other Congolese, he fled his country because of the war. He lives on Durban’s notorious Point Road, and works seven days a week as a car guard earning about R250 per week. He has a degree in electrical engineering but has been confined to street work because he is still waiting for his refugee status to be approved, which has already taken several months.
When refugees arrive in South Africa, they receive a temporary document that gives them two weeks to apply for official refugee status. But, with the delays in the application review process, many of the temporary documents expire, and many are forced to survive through informal employment. In this time, they endure abuse at the hands of government officials and the police. Often, they resort to bribery to obtain asylum.
“We don’t like these amakwere-kwere because they steal our jobs and cause crime for us,” said the domestic worker. “They must go back and sort out their problems and not make problems for us.”
There is no evidence to support the idea that foreigners are responsible for the surge in social and economic problems in South Africa. But, for many South Africans, refugees provide a target for venting their anger about their personal situations. Many South Africans believe foreigners are taking valuable job opportunities away from them.
I conducted a small survey to capture what students think of refugees. Most who were interviewed gave an adequate description of what a refugee was, and many said it was the fault of South Africans that they did not have jobs and not because of the influx of foreigners.
One student said: “If a foreigner can find a job in a country where she/he speaks a different language, then how come South Africans can’t seem to find jobs?”
Despite the fact that this was only a limited survey with very general questions, it is obvious from the opinions about foreigners that, to facilitate understanding, there is a responsibility on South Africans to attempt to learn about the different cultures and people they meet on the streets.