The politics of Harare’s open spaces

By Aiden Musarurwa
Harare; Zimbabwe

Harare City Council bulldozing houses

The fear of open spaces is called agoraphopia. It is a strange sensation of feeling detached and alone, so various definitions go.

It appears some sections of the local authority and leading political players have a deep seated fear of open spaces, if the number of housing developments that went up in virtually every vlei, hill and open ground over the last five years or so is anything to go by.

How else could one explain where once there were restrictions on construction, housing projects now grace the land? From the ubiquitous two-roomed cement breeze block flat roof structures, to tiled houses that look like they cost a pretty penny to put up, these have strung up in Harare and Chitungwiza and are now the subject of hot debate involving the local authority, the house owners, so-called land barons and the inevitable politicians.

Some of the houses before demolition 

When the City of Harare announced plans to demolish the illegal structures there was a feeling that they would not follow through on their threat - mainly because the city councillors are largely from the MDC-T party, which is the opposition to the ruling Zanu PF party.

Letters sent out by City of Harare to warn residents to move off the land (Source: 263Chat)

The Mayor of Harare, Bernard Manyenyeni who has acquired a reputation as a straight talker, led from the front once his bulldozers got rolling. He is also in touch with today’s trends, announcing his council’s position on Facebook.

“We are very keen to protect the city’s superior town planning and in doing that, we discourage any form of unplanned settlements. Where this has gone ahead without authority, we first seek opportunities for regularising as many of the structures as we possibly can,” Manyenyeni said.

Mayor of Harare - Bernard Manyenyeni (Source: nehandaradio.com)

The council spokesman Michael Chideme weighed in.

“Harare residents should learn to respect land uses. There is land meant for schools, clinics and recreation. We should make sure we do not tamper with such land.”

Most of the land has been distributed by people with links to the ruling party. These are the so-called land barons. In Zimbabwe, you know you have acquired notoriety once you are a baron. In the mid 2000s anyone dealing in foreign currency as the Zimdollar plummeted to new depths was called a cash baron.

To the casual observer, these are a bunch of speculators keen to make a quick dollar off the residents, for whom ownership of property is a lifelong dream.

The reality seems to lie a bit deeper.

Sources close to the land developers have said there is a deliberate attempt to create pockets of people loyal to the ruling party in various constituencies in order to wrest control of Harare and Chitungwiza from the MDC-T.

In Harare South, for example, the ruling party has been winning the seat ever since thousands of people were resettled on Hopley Farm. The same scenario almost rang true in Harare East with the settlement of people on Caledonia Farms leading to a close race there, before eventually leading to Zanu PF winning the seat in a by-election.

The constituency boundaries are getting murkier and murkier as once elite suburbs like Borrowdale are now joined with Hatcliffe, while Mandara is now linked with Caledonia.

The political hand was finally played last week when Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said the council should regularise the settlements and let people live on the land, while the political issues in the background were settled.

Local Government Minister - Saviour Kasukuwere (Source: nehandaradio.com)

“Harare City Council will take over this land and ensure that it is serviced and the houses here are not demolished,” Kasukuwere said after touring an area near Mufakose with businessman Billy Rautenbach, whose links to the ruling party are well documented and who was claiming ownership of the land.

Billy Rautenbach - Businessman (Source: www.newsday.co.zw)

A political show of strength was also exposed here as the land was allegedly traded between Rautenbach and a Zanu PF MP which has collected millions of dollars from the residents without passing on the money to the local authority.

"The councils are seized with issue. Whoever received cash will have to account for it and to explain on whose authority they carried out the allocation," he said.

The Chairman of the Council’s Environmental committee is in no doubt to blame.

Herbert Gomba trained his guns on residents and politicians.

“I have seen residents associations blasting council for acting but never heard them educating residents about good citizenship, which includes abiding by the laws of the country. I have heard council being asked questions like ‘why did you allow them to settle there?’ but never heard these illegal settlers being asked questions like ‘why do you do illegal things being misled by politicians?’” Gomba said in an interview with a local weekly.

It is enough to make one’s head spin, and this is just one of the areas where the background to open spaces runs deeper than the surface.

As the bulldozers ran through the community, the old saying about the grass suffering when elephants fight rings louder and truer.

All the residents’ interviews say they got documentation to prove they own the land and that council inspectors came and checked all stages of construction.

The City of Harare’s Head of Water, Engineer Christopher Zvobgo has been suspended pending an investigation into how settlements now being declared illegal were connected to the Council water supply.

City of Harare's Head of Water - Engineer Christopher Zvobgo (Source: www.herald.co.zw)

“We did not just bring ourselves here. Most of us spent over $40 000 building our houses. Money which was hard to get, and now we are sleeping outside. Surely someone must make up for this. Someone has to pay for this.

Remnants of demolished houses 

“At the moment nobody wants to be accountable. Council says it is the MP, MDC says it is Zanu and Zanu says it is MDC.

“This doesn’t help me. My family and household property are being rained on every day and nobody can tell me what I did wrong,” says Dickson Madamombe, fists clenched and eyes red with frustrated fury.

He is a victim of the apparent desire by some people to see any open space filled with housing and people, even if that comes at such a high cost to the people who give their all to populate these spaces.

Jeremy Corbyn wins Labour Leadership Race... things can and will change

Jeremy Corbyn (MP) - right with Tom Watson at the conference today (Source: www.itv.com)

MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn has today emerged as Labour leader. Corbyn garnered a overwhelming 251.417 votes which constituted 59.5%, which was 40% more than his closest rival Andy Burnham who got 19%. Following very closely was Yvette Cooper with 17% and last being Liz Kendall with just 4.5% of the votes.

In his victory speech, Corbyn spoke strongly against the current government's Trade Union bill that will be put forward on Monday. The bill, he said is designed to "shackle the unions who are working to defend the people's rights," and will stifle people's democratic rights to demostrate against unfair practices by employers towards employees. Corbyn highlighted that Labour is a party organically linked together between the unions and party membership and all the affiliated organisations - that is where it gets its strength from. 

Corbyn also attacked an unfair welfare system in Conservative's Welfare reform bill which he said "will bring such misery and poverty to so many of the poorest in the society." The newly elected Labour leader spoke of the party which is united and absolutely determined in its quest for a decent and better society for all.    

Jeremy Corbyn strongly shunned Britain's foreign policy which was destabilising many parts of the world - one such - being the war in Syria. He said, "Let us realise that going to war creates a legacy of bitterness and problems. Let us be a force for change, humanity, peace in the world realising that we cant go on with grotesque levels of inequality, threats to our environment all around the world without the rich and powerful governments stepping up to the plate to make sure our world becomes safer and better."

He said, "They should make sure these people  don't end up in poverty, refugee camps wasting away their lives who could be contributing so much to the good of all of us on this planet. We are one world."

For his first assignment as Labour leader Mr. Corbyn will go out this afternoon to support and demonstrate the way refugees must and should be treated in the UK. He said the immigrants are inter-generational and generational victims of war who have ended up in desperation and terrible places. He called for the government and all to deal with the refugee crisis with humanity, support and compassion because they are after all 'human beings like the rest of us.'

West Bromwich East MP, Tom Watson is going to be deputising Corbyn.

The newly elected Labour leader also congratulated the newly elected mayor of London, Sadik Khan and promised that they will work together particularly on the housing issue in London. He said; "I'm fed-up with the social cleansing of London by the Tory government and its policies. We will ensure the end in sky-high rents in London and the insecurity of those living in the private rented sector."

Sadik Khan (MP) (Source: www.dailymail.co.uk)

Jeremy Corbyn also thanked former Labour leader Ed Milliband, and the acting leader Harriet Hammond as well as his contenders; Andy Burnham for his position as shadow health secretary 'who advocated for a free health service under the NHS at the point of use and his stand for a comprehensive education and to ensure that all children have a fair and decent start to life.'

He also showed his gratitude to Yvette Cooper for the part she played in the last few weeks in helping to shape and turn round public opinion to show sympathy and humanity towards refugees and the way they are treated. Cooper received a resounding standing ovation at this. Corbyn also thanked Liz Kendell for her friendship even if they both had 'some moderate differences'.

The Labour party has presented itself as representing the democratic rights of the people, justice, equality and peace.

Queen Elizabeth II becomes Britain’s longest reigning monarch and British Head of State

HRM Queen Elizabeth II with her husband Prince Phillip - 2015 (Source: www.vogue.it)

After assuming her reign as queen of England on the 2^nd of February 1952, Queen Elizabeth II today becomes Britain’s longest reigning monarch. The Queen surpasses her great great grand-mother Queen Victoria’s record of 63 years 7 months and 2 days.

She is also the world’s oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain’s longest lived. Her coronation service in 1953 was the first ever to be televised.

Queen Elizabeth II's coronation - 1953 (Source: ABC News)

As the Head of State of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, Queen Elizabeth has been quite a popular figure across the world. 

The Queen in Seychelles - 1971 (Source: www.dailymail.co.uk) 

The Queen was born to Albert Frederick Arthur George (George VI) and Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (Elizabeth I). She ascended the throne at the age of 25 after the death of her father who had reigned for 16 years.

During the Second World War, the queen undertook public duties where she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. 

Queen Elizabeth II in 1945 (Source: www.express.co.uk)

In 1947 she married Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh with whom she has four children; Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. 

Amidst her royal duties, the Queen has not forgotten her role as a wife and mother, seen in the pictures below with the Duke of Edinburgh and the kids including baby Andrew as they relaxed in the grounds of Balmoral in 1960.

The Duke of Edinburgh with the Queen entertaining the kids including baby Prince Andrew
as they relax in the grounds of Balmoral - 1960 (Source: www.businessinsider.my)

Spending time together at Windsor with young prince sat next to his mother &
father Prince Philip - 1968 (Source: www.dailymail.co.uk)

Queen Elizabeth II has seen through six decades of massive political, social and economic changes and reforms. She has seen major constitutional changes, such as devolution in the UK, Canadian patriation and the decolonisation of Africa. She has also reined through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms.

Queen Elizabeth II on royal visit to Khyber Pass being escorted by
 Nawab of Kalabagh (on the right) - 1962 (Source: Syedih Husain)

The Queen with Jomo Kenyatta and his wife in Nairobi, Kenya - 1971

In 1982 Her Royal Majesty (HRM) became the first monarch since the reformation to welcome a Pope to Britain during John Paul II’s pastoral visit to the country and in 2010.

HRM The Queen with Pope John Paul II - 1982 (Source: www.telegraph.co.uk)

Queen Elizabeth attending Trooping the Colour on horse and took the salute of
The Household Guards at Horse Guard's Parade - 1985 (Source: www.dailymail.co.uk)

1992 was a year the Queen termed 'Annus Horribilis' a Latin phrase meaning 'Horrible Year'. She said, '1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis'. Here are some of the events to which she alluded; 

• In March 1992, it was announced that her second son, the Duke of York would separate from his wife, the Duchess of York. Later in the year, scandalous pictures of a topless Duchess of York being kissed on her feet by her friend, John Bryan, were published in the tabloids.
• Also in March 1992, the Mauritian Monarchy was abolished.
• In April, her daughter,the Princess Royal, divorced her husband, Captain Mark Philips.
• In June, 'the Princess of Wales' tell-all book, Diana, Her True Story, was published.
• In November, just four days before the Guildhall speech, one of the Queen’s homes, Windsor Castle caught fire. The castle was seriously damaged, and several priceless artifacts were lost. John Major, then Prime Minister, originally indicated that the government would fund the cost of repairs (Windsor Castle, like Buckingham Palace, being government-owned). Convention requires the monarch to accept the advice of his or her Prime Minister, but there was considerable public outcry against this plan. As an alternative to relying solely on the taxpayer, the government decided to open some publicly owned royal residences to tourists during the summer period when the Queen is not in residence, and the revenue from those tours was applied to the castle repair costs.

The Queen visiting Windsor Castle after the fire - 1992 (www.dailymail.co.uk)

1997 was yet another sad year for the Queen, the royals and the rest of the world as it saw the death of the Princess of Wales; Princess Diana.

Queen Elizabeth II at Princess Diana's funeral - 1997 (Source: www.theguardian.co.uk)

Year 2002 marked the Queen's Golden Jubilee which she celebrated in a stylishly elegant orange outfit. She has constantly worn exquisitely bright colours, showing an up-to-date fashion sense.

The Queen returns from St. Paul's cathedral after a service of thanksgiving
to celebrate her Golden Jubilee - 2002 (Source: www.telegraph.co.uk) 

Her Majesty in green - 2002 (Source: aliveradio.net)

Queen Elizabeth posses with the three future monarchs; Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George.

The three future monarchs inline with the Queen (Source: www.usmagazine.com)

HRM Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, marking 60 years of her reign.

Queen Elizabeth II celebrating her diamond jubilee - 2012 (Source:Times.com)

The Queen addressing the Lords and Members of the House of Commons - 2013
(Source: www.telegraph.co.uk)

Her Majesty in a rare public speech today, is expected to address the people of Britain and the Commonwealth in a short speech at the opening of a Scottish Borders railway in Tweedbank, which has been described as the longest domestic railway line to be built in the UK in over a century. She had originally wished to spend the landmark day in private; since celebrating it would be the same as celebrating her great great-grand mother's death - which would be morally wrong.

The Run for Labour Leadership

A few days after he announced to stand for Labour leadership, the charismatic Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna recalled his decision – stripping the party of one of its strongest contenders.

The reason he gave for reversing his decision was how uncomfortable he was with the amount of scrutiny his family faced as a result.

However, other critics believe Umunna was another victim of an elegant, silent old-fashioned Westminster character assassination. They cite reasons being of him not showing total allegiance to one party. When he entered into active politics, he was part of the anti-Blairite think tank run by former Gordon Brown aide Neal Lawson. Then as his parliamentary ambitions strengthened, he changed course and started building bridges with the Blairites. He then turned again by endorsing Ed Miliband which was against Blairites and still hit back on Ed by keeping his distance from the Ed team.

This gave the impression of an erratic and unpredictable Umunna and therefore could not be trusted. However some saw him as possessing acute political antenna.

To show the course which the wind was taking, the Blairite camp at the start of last year shifted its allegiance to Dan Jarvis.

Umunna’s race could have well played against him as some skeptics believe that the UK is not yet ready for a ‘black Prime Minister’ and this came at a time when most Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) were calling for tougher measures against immigration into the UK. One shadow cabinet minister is on record saying, ‘all MPs hate Umunna because they are jealous of him’. Since Umunna became an active politician, he has risen up the ladder faster than what would be deemed politically correct by Westminster. So Westminster’s unwritten rules were enforced.

Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn (MP)
(Source: iknowpolitics.org)

Seemingly now leading the race for labour leadership is the much contested MP for Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn. His political career began in 1974 when he was elected to Haringey Council, a role which he kept until his election as MP in 1983. Corbyn describes himself as a democratic socialist and has advocated the renationalisation of public utilities and railways, combating corporate tax evasion and avoidance as an alternative to austerity, unilateral nuclear disarmament and cancellation of the Trident nuclear weapons programme.

Corbyn is a member of a number of trade union groups in parliament which include Unison and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers. Corbyn was a well known campaigner against apartheid in South Africa and is a prominent member of Amnesty International.

Born on 26 May 1949 in Chippenham, Wiltshire, Corbyn attended Adams’ Grammar School and then briefly North London Polytechnic. In 1974 he married a fellow Labour party councillor in Haringey, Jane Chapman but divorced in 1979. He later married Chilean exile Claudia Brachitta in 1987 with whom he had 3 sons. After a disagreement on which school their son would attend, the couple divorced in 1999. This year, Corbyn married his long term domestic partner; 46-year old Laura Alvarez.

Labour Leadership - Who is the Likely Candidate?

Following the dismal failure of the Labour party in the general elections last Thursday, Ed Miliband immediately stepped down as party leader. Now the race is on for who succeeds him - with his brother David Miliband ruling himself out in the running, though criticising the whole Labour campaign citing that it wasn't favourable to the electorate. The following are the contenders for Labour leadership;

Chuka Umunna

Chuka Umunna (MP)
(Source: idtobetter.com)

Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills since 2011 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Streatham since 2010. He increased his majority by more than 10 000 in last week's general elections. A few days before announcing he will run for the party's leadership, he came open about what went wrong with the Labour campaign. He sighted issues of it not being inspirational enough, had too much focus on the very rich and the very poor, and a failure to be pro-business - a sentiment he shares with Lord Sugar who yesterday announced his rejection of the party.

In June 2010, Umunna was elected as a member of the Treasury Select Committee and in October of the same year was appointed to serve as Ed Miliband's Parliamentary Private Secretary, and in 2011 was appointed to the position of Shadow Minister for Small Business and Enterprise until his promotion to the Shadow Cabinet.

Umunna studied law at the University of Manchester and did his Masters with Nottingham Trent University. He has said his politics and moral values come from Christianity but that he is "not majorly religious".

After university he worked as a lawyer in London and in 2006, began to write and provide commentary on the Labour party.

Born Chuka Harrison Umunna on 17 October 1978 in London to a Nigerian immigrant Bennett and his mother Patricia Milmo - a solicitor, is the daughter of the late Sir. Helenus Milmo (QS) a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. Umunna has been seen this week walking with his girlfriend Alice Sullivan hand in hand in public for the first time.

Liz Kendall

Liz Kendall (MP)
Source: en.wikipedia.org

Kendall has been the first to step out and announce that she will be running in the leadership contest - and saying out what should be done to reignite the party's flame. She spoke of the need to embrace those in the middle England who gave their votes to the Conservatives this time around. To her, the party's re-strategising will take longer than a few weeks or months and sees herself as the best candidate to see Labour through. Kendall's advantage in the race is of being a woman - following increased pressure on the party to elect its first female leader. 

Kendall is the Shadow Minister for Care and Older People as well as MP for Leicester West. 

She graduated with a first in history at Queens College, Cambridge and since then has worked in charities, think tanks and was a special adviser to two cabinet ministers.

Born Elizabeth Louise Kendall on 11 June 1971, she grew up in Abbots Langley.  Kendall's domestic partner is the comedian and actor Greg Davies.

Yvette Cooper

Yvette Cooper (MP)
Source: en.wikipedia.org

Though Cooper has been described as the leading female candidate in the party, she is yet to declare. She is wife to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Ed Balls who lost his Morley and Outwood seat. 

She is the Shadow Home Secretary and has been seen to be a stronger contender to Theresa May. She has previously been the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under Gordon Brown's rule and Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Minister of State for Housing and Planning. 

Cooper is the MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010 having previously been the MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. In February 2013, Cooper was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.

The Shadow Home Secretary attained a first class honours in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford and an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. Born in Inverness, Scotland on 20 March 1969 her father Tony Cooper was a former General Secretary of Prospect Union, a former Non-Executive Director of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and a former Chairman of the British Nuclear Industry Forum. He was also a government adviser on the Energy Advisory Panel.  

Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham (MP)
Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Burnham has not declared his bid to run for Labour leadership, but he is seemingly the more experienced of those  who have bidden and those that are likely to. If he is to declare, this won't be the first time he has done so as in 2010 after Gordon Brown's resignation, he also declared his intention to stand in the contest. He however finished forth with only 9 percent of the votes to Ed Miliband. Burnham's disadvantage is of carrying the history of Gordon Brown's government. 

Shadow Secretary of State for Health since October 2011, a post he took up after being Shadow Secretary of State for Education in October 2010. Burnham has been the MP for Leigh since 2001.  Under the leadership of Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010 he held the following posts, Chief Secretary to the Treasury (June 2007 - January 2008), Secreatary for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (January 2008 - June 2009), and Health Secretary (June 2009 - May 2010).

Born Andrew Murray Burnham on 7 January 1970 in Aintree, Merseyside, he practises Roman Catholicism. He studied English at Fitzwilliam College - University of Cambridge.

Tristram Hunt

Tristram Hunt (MP)
Source: www.stokesentinel.co.uk

Shadow Secretary of State for Education and MP for Stroke-on-Trent Central; as like Umunna spoken out on where the party went wrong. His criticism lies in Labour not doing enough to listen to businesses and that the party is not appealing enough to the centre ground. Hunt has however been met with some skepticism as being too closely resembling Ed Miliband's academic instead of practical politics. 

Hunt studied history at Trinity College, Cambridge and completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of Cambridge.  Born Tristram Julian William Hunt on 31 May 1974, his father Julian, Baron Hunt of Chesterton, a metereologist and leader of the Labour Group on Cambridge City Council in 1972-73 who was created a Labour Life Peer on the recommendation of Tony Blair in 2000. 

Tristram Hunt is married to Juliet Thornback and they have two daughters and a son. 

Aberdeen - SNP likely to win most votes

As polling stations in Aberdeen and across the United Kingdom opened at 7 in the morning today, popular support seemed to be for the Scottish National Party (SNP) as most voters dawned stickers with the yellow party. Houses and streets had banners and picks in support for a more Scottish parliament and seemingly seems as if this time around, SNP is a big contender to Downing Street. Nicola Sturgeon is definitely going to garner a significant number of votes.

In comparison to the run up to the September Scottish Referendum elections last year, none of the other contending parties this time around seemed to be openly in support of their candidates.

Could this be a sign for the demise of David Cameroon and his Conservative party after having duped Scotland of devolution of power last year? Snap polls across the UK have been showing a closely knit race with none of the parties getting a majority win. 

Support for SNP in Aberdeen

Abedeenians in support of SNP 

Support for SNP (Aberdeen)

In many parts of Aberdeen, most of the voters started trickling in around 9 in the morning and by 10 a couple more voters could be seen streaming to the polls. Dyce Church Hall which covered Kirkhill, Dyce North and Dyce South fell short of parking as most voters ended up looking for alternative parking at the nearest shopping centres.

Dyce Church Hall Polling Station - Aberdeen

Congestion at Dyce Church Hall polling station - Aberdeen

Loirston Annexe polling station in Cove - Aberdeen

As polls close at 10 this evening, everyone awaits decision time.

NO to 'Beheading', 'Slaying', 'Hacking' & 'Bricking' fellow Human Beings - STOP Xenophobia

Armed with knives, machetes, wrenches, knobkerries, bricks, guns - they mobilised each other in their numbers with the intention to take the lives of their fellow brothers and sisters. They are thirsty for human blood to spill in-front of their homes with no fear of how their children might feel about it. They yearn to see dead bodies lying about, they long to take human life with the least remorse. 

Naume Garusa (www.herald.co.zw)

41 year old Zimbabwean woman Naume Garusa has become the latest victim of the xenophobia attacks in South Africa as her body was found in a bush with her head decapitated. Garusa had been working legally in South Africa since 2002 and was the sole breadwinner for her family. She is said to have been targeted on her way from work. 

What kind of a person would actually slit another human being’s head from end to end till it detaches from the body? When the blood is gutting out and spilling all over the murderer, what kind of feelings are going through his spirit? As Garusa was struggling, grappling for life, groaning as life left her – what kind of sound was the murderer making? Was he laughing? Was he talking? Was he shouting? Was he smiling?

This is not a nightmare, nooooooooo and neither is it a horror movie – it is the act of a demonic people clothed in human skin and it's happening in broad daylight as the world watches in dire disgust. These people are beyond barbaric and sub-headed because of such ghastly, vile, diabolic acts. If you look at the so called stones they are holding – they are big enough to be bricks and it should be called ‘bricking’ of immigrants in the strictest sense.

What crime did Garusa commit?

407 Zimbabweans have returned home with the assistance of the Zimbabwe government following the attacks. A local newspaper The Herald reports that of the 407, 92 are children and 112 are women.  More buses will be returning to Zimbabwe in the next couple of days. Interviewed by Aljazeera, Brenda Mamvenge a returnee from South Africa spoke of how children were being beaten and thrown into storm drains full of water. She decided to leave South Africa but her husband decided to stay behind. Another returnee Climate Muhanga said he had to flee leaving his South African wife and two kids. He felt his wife would be safe because of her nationality – but feared for the children. On Tuesday last week, Muhanga witnessed his cousin Pepukai Museyi being beheaded.

Other governments have also started repatriating their nationals from South Africa which include Malawi and Somalia. 

Sithole being attacked in Johannesburg (www.bbc.co.uk/news)

Still on the recent spates of xenophobic attacks, a Mozambican migrant Emmanuel Sithole was stabbed and clubbed by these men in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township. Looking at the murderer’s faces – one can notice the determination to cause some form of grievous body harm. In the picture above and below, members of the community look on and do not attempt to help Sithole.

Sithole being attacked with a wrench (www.bbc.co.uk/news)

Thugs surround Sithole as they continue to assault him (www.bbc.co.uk/news)

The murderous men surround Sithole whom they have brought down to the rubbish-strewn ground. One of them is holding a shovel – Heaven knows for what!! In the eyes of man, Sithole doesn’t stand a chance. The murderers faces depict young men who should be doing much better things with their lives – men who should be aspiring to be the next Southern Africa Development Community president, young men who should channel their energy in studying to become engineers, medical doctors, accountants, businessmen. But alas - what a shame it is for their fate is not less than 15 years in prison for first degree murder.

Sithole being taken to the hospital (www.bbc.co.uk/news)

After the incident, Sithole is lifted into reporters’ car and taken to hospital where paramedics administered CPR but failed to resuscitate him. Photographer James Oatway who managed to witness these unfortunate events described how Sithole stared at him in the car with shock at what had just taken place. These people committing theses killings are not thugs because by the time Sithole died at the hospital, he still had his cellphone and R285 in his pockets, said Oatway. These people are possessed by demons who seek to kill, and for no reason at all.

What crime did Sithole commit?

A 14 year old teenager who was shot dead in the KwaZulu-Natal town of Ntuzuma is one of the victims of these senseless attacks on fellow human beings.

At least seven people have died and thousands displaced in the latest xenophobic attacks. African foreigners have been targeted in the attacks which have also seen immigrants businesses being attacked and looted. The locals attacking African immigrants are doing so for the reasons that they are causing social and economic harm and according to Bloomberg News, police say the attacks began after a group of Durban residents accused a supermarket of replacing its workers with foreigners. Some South Africans have accused immigrants for taking jobs and opportunities away from them.

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini who is an influential figure in the Zulu ethnic group has been accused of causing these attacks as he was quoted saying foreigners must 'pack their bags' and leave. South African president Jacob Zuma's son, Edward has also been accused of inciting xenophobia by his comments about foreigners. 

"We need to be aware that as a country, we are sitting on a ticking time bomb of them (foreigners) taking over the country. The reason why I am saying that is because some of the foreigners are working for private security companies where they have been employed for cheap labour. These companies are running away from complying with South African labour laws," said the President's eldest son.

Jacob Zuma denounced these attacks on foreigners and assigned a team of three ministers to end the attacks and strongly condemned the violence but has however refused to call the attacks xenophobic because the attacks 'were not targeted at all nationalities.' Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko also echoed the same sentiments as the president, calling the attacks Afrophobia and that they were ideologically driven.

In as much as it is mostly Africans being targeted in these attacks, mainly those from Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, Malawi and Zimbabwe often running shops, stalls and businesses - Pakistani and Indian nationals have also been targeted. These attacks are fueled by a sense of hatred, dislike and fear of foreigners and it's high time the South African government call a spade a spade - this is most Definitely Xenophobia.

Young women looting foreign-owned shops in Soweto - January this year (www.ibtimes.com)

South African police ignoring looting of a foreign-owned shop in White City Soweto - in January (www. timeslive.co.za)

The anti-foreigner violence is reminiscent of the 2008 attacks  which killed 62 people - 21 of which were South African citizens and about 50 000 were displaced from their homes. 

In 2013, a 25 year-old Somali man Abdi Nasir Mahmoud Good was found lying flat in a Port Elizabeth street after being stripped naked, his genitals pelted with rocks, stones smashed over his head all the while receiving kicks in the face. He died due to his injuries. Two Somali brothers were also allegedly hacked to death which led to public outcry and worldwide protests by the Somali diaspora in Cape Town, London and Minneapolis.  Five other Somalis were injured in the violence and almost every Somali-owned business in Port  Elizabeth’s Booysen Park was burned or looted. 

Afrophobia, Europhobia, Americaphobia makes noooooooo difference at all - its all Xenophobia. South African authorities should STOP trying to be clever in their terminology and deal with these inhuman barbaric acts and I surely hope to have seen and heard the last of them this year.