A Zimbabwean's Warning to South Africa

Watching the savage beating of a Zimbabwean at the hands of South Africans really made me pause and reflect.  That video made my heartache, brought a tear to my eyes as I tried to capture what must have been going through his mind in those last moments; the pain, the fear.  Human beings are evil creatures, fueled by a’ darkness’ I cannot even begin to try comprehend; a ‘darkness’ that holds Zimbabwe captive and one that has the potential to consume South Africa in ways that would make Rwanda’s genocide look like a minor scuffle.

 

Here is my warning to you South Africa. As their grip on power starts to fade, the ANC will become like ZANU, desperate. Afraid to lose their political monopoly and hold on the masses, their rhetoric will become more aggressive and polarizing – a la Malema. Your black citizens, still feeling disenfranchised will start to look for someone to blame; in recent years they blamed it on Zimbabweans, beat us to death and burned us alive. But soon that won’t be enough; they will look at the ANC for answers and the ANC, out of ideas and trying to find a way to hold on to power, will do what every other African leader resorts to when the truth (corruption, bad governance) is not an option – they will conjure up the injustice of colonization and the grip of the ‘White man’. However, the only difference between Zimbabwe and you will be that your cities will burn higher and the blood will flow deeper than ours.

 

I say this, not because I wish it upon you, but because I fear for you.  You see, us Zimbabweans, with all our issues, tend to be a hopeful, none aggressive bunch of misfits; and that’s what makes us easy to control. A couple of threats, abductions, beatings and murders here and there are enough to keep us from marching out on the streets and letting the world know we are being held hostage. South Africa on the other hand is a different story, a place where the masses never shy away from confrontation and violence doesn’t just keep itself hidden in the shadows like your neighbor Zimbabwe, but manifests itself in the darkest and most unapologetic ways possible.

 

You see, we’re not that different you (South Africa) and I (Zimbabwe), our history and the ways of our contemporary politicians have condemned to this tumultuous existence. I can only hope for your sake, that you watch and learn from Zimbabwe's demise in order to avoid the ‘darkness’.

 

Sincerely yours,

Kwapi

 

Copyright 2011

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