Reflecting back to the eve of the dawn of democracy that was achieved in 1994, I took a trip down memory lane and reflected on the changes brought about by the democratic dispensation. As a matter of fact, the now-defunct apartheid system of governance did not cater for the needs of the African majority, in this case Black South African citizens.
Things like infrastructural development, clean drinkable water supply, smooth tarred roads and electricity supply were only reserved for the white minority population group during the Nationalist Party rule.
Nelson Mandela’s administration came up with a very good and life-changing policy of Reconstruction and Development. The aim was to level the playing field by redressing the past wrongs committed by the NP government.
This is when South Africans saw a low-cost government-subsidised four-roomed house allocated to lower-income earning citizens free of charge. One thought by then that this RDP policy was going to do away with the challenges of informal settlements which are mushrooming everyday countrywide.
The painful reality about these informal settlements is that once they have settled informally, they will then start making demands from the government for basic services, regardless of what the government’s plans with regard to human settlement are.
The stark and painful reality is that in these informal settlements, one finds that illegal foreign nationals are also part of these communities. Imagine the burden that our government has to carry on its shoulders. Government must now take care of us, its citizens and foreign nationals who are in the country legally and illegally.
There’s lyrics to a song I dearly love, sung by the late George Michael, Careless Whisper. He sings: “There is no comfort in the truth.” When one vocally addresses these challenges brought about the influx of foreign nationals in our country, one is labelled to be xenophobic against his/her African brothers and sisters from the north of the Limpopo River.
One cannot turn a blind eye on these challenges and keep quite as if things are just normal. Our government is unable to cater to all of our needs, including health care, yet it is expected to cater to foreign nationals too . Is that realistic?
I have friends all over the African continent, I’m certain. I know what I am talking about. For example, as a South African, you can’t go to Eswatini and erect a stall to sell, however, for them it is very easy to enter the country both legally and illegally and do whatever they like without hesitation.
- The views expressed above are of the writer who wrote in his personal capacity and do not necessarily represent Mo Media as a publication -
