Don Chigumba: Heartless Ramaphosa ’emulating Trump’ and fuelling xenophobia in South Africa

By Don Chigumba

The President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa was quoted by the media during one of his rallies telling his supporters that all illegal immigrants in South Africa, mainly Zimbabweans, will be deported immediately. Media allegations are that, the security personnel of South Africa are currently on the ground hunting for illegal immigrants direct from their homes.

There are also allegations of xenophobic attacks that have been ignited by the ‘heartless utterances’ of President Cyril Ramaphosa. This paper seeks to demonstrate that Ramaphosa is poised to become the worst President on earth against humanity.   

Zimbabweans, Zambians, Mozambicans, Malawians, Namibians and Tanzanians are cousins and children of South African. The wars organized by King Shaka in 1880s resulted in massive migration of South Africans across Southern African territories.

There is a group of South Africans led by Mzilikazi that landed in Southern Rhodesia now called Zimbabwe. Another group passed through Zambia to Tanganyika now Tanzania and Zwangendaba died at Mpfipa in Tanganyika. There is no doubt that Some South Africans remained in Zambia and that another groups landed in Malawi and Mozambique.

It may be painful to every African for President Ramaphosa to forget such history. Deporting illegal immigrants in South Africa is a heartless move (if the history of South Africa and Africa is to be remembered). South Africa is among the two countries in Africa to get independence together with Namibia and all their help came from fellow African brothers who are about to be chased away by President Ramaphosa.

There is no doubt that Ramaphosa is planning to chase the cousins and children of South Africa. Ramaphosa failed to learn from Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma but now decided to take notes from Donald Trump. Presidents who hate humanity/immigrants have no place on earth. We are all illegal immigrants South Africans got refuge from fellow African countries during apartheid and Ramaphosa seems to have forgotten.

President Nelson Mandela at one point in time went into exile in Tanzania without even a travel document. It was Julius Nyerere of Tanzania who processed a Tanzanian passport for him to go for a meeting in Ethiopia.

On his way back from the foreign land, Mandela was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. Jacob Zuma fought for the freedom of South Africa while in Tanzania, he did not even have a birth certificate. Today, the ‘intelligent’ Ramaphosa thinks that he can destroy pieces of African history. 

President Museveni, a student of Nyerere has been playing a great role in helping his neighbours, today, there are millions of illegal immigrants from South Sudan, Congo, Rwanda and Burundi in Uganda who ran away from their countries. However, President Ramaphosa failed to take notes from President Museveni.

There are millions of illegal immigrants in UK, Australia, USA and other western countries who are helping them to develop their countries. These illegal immigrants are still respected and some of them are already naturalized. President Trump of USA is trying to make life difficult for illegal immigrants but democrats are resisting because of their respect of humanity. What Ramaphosa is planning to do is heartless and the ancestors of Africa will never forgive him.

I know that Zimbabweans constitute the bulk of illegal immigrants in South Africa not because of their choices but because of ZANU PF oppression. They are both economic and political refugees.

Ramaphosa should let them stay untill the economic situation in Zimbabwe improves. I was surprised that Ramaphosa has failed to put pressure on the ZANU PF government. Instead of calling for regime change, he is exalting ZANU PF despite their long history of failure in leadership. 

Zimbabweans from South Africa will only return to Zimbabwe when South African government and SADC makes it possible for it to happen. The only solution to deal with illegal Zimbabweans in South Africa is for Ramaphosa to put pressure on ZANU PF government.

Ramaphosa should thank God that Zimbabweans and other foreigners are playing a key role towards the development of South Africa.

A move to chase Zimbabweans will be futile. Zimbabweans are refuges in South Africa today. Tomorrow South Africans may be victims as well. We are all refuges of war or economy. Very soon we shall all be refuges of climate change.

Join me in condemning President Ramaphosa, forward this piece to him if you are close or linked to him. We need to remember our brothers and sisters under xenophobic attacks in South Africa. You need to have one minute (a moment) of silence now in remembrance of our brothers under xenophobic attack.

I am therefore asking our government to denounce this kind of brutality from our brothers in South Africa. We cannot keep quiet when Zimbabweans are being slaughtered like goats and chickens.

Don Chigumba can be found on twitter @Donchigumba