Often, when people try to rebuke the xenophobic scourge in the country, they refer to the fact that when South Africa was under Apartheid rule, the leaders of liberation movement found shelter in other countries. As true as this is, it should only serve to be a secondary reason for the proper treatment of foreign nationals.

The fundamental and most important reason for the correct treatment of all people, South African or not, is the fact that they are human beings, and they have a right to live and to seek out for themselves the best path through which they can reach the highest expression of their humanity.

What we see today with these xenophobic attacks is a complete disregard for the rule of law, with echoes of criminal activity and complete ignorance of the dignity inherent in all people by virtue of life. It is true that what exacerbates these acts is more nuanced than just lawlessness. However, this is not a licence to deal violently with other human beings.

The utterances of King Goodwill Zwelithini about foreign nationals, which His Royal Highness denies, are problematic. There are many people who have great respect for him. There are many people who would see his views on foreign nationals as a licence to perpetuate these heinous crimes against humanity. Indeed he might say it is unfair to pin blame on him for events occurring in Durban; however, we should commend the call made by Minister Malusi Gigaba: “All leaders in the country have a responsibility to use words to build and not to destroy.”

The onus is on the King to prove that the media misrepresented his views. That said, the media also has an obligation to see that they do not become a conduit for tension in the country. I cannot understand why Edward Zuma’s views were so important that they had to be so excessively publicised. Edward Zuma is not the person who has been tasked by the electorate to run this country. Being the president’s son does not mean that his views should be of importance to the public.

Nevertheless, now that he has been given the forum to express these views, he should at the very least do so responsibly. It is evident that xenophobia in this country is deeply entrenched, and that hasty generalisations are being made about foreign nationals. If Edward Zuma wants to make submissions about illegal gun ownership in this country, he must not ascribe this problem to foreign nationals alone, but also to law enforcement agencies. If he wants to make submissions about the high numbers of illegal immigrants in South Africa, he must also say something about border control and systems in the Home Affairs department. If we were to get rid of all foreign nationals, the problems Mr Zuma is talking about would not end, because there is a leadership disparity between those at grassroots level and those tasked to lead.

At the crux of the problem is a leadership vacuum that is slowly creeping into the South African society. Political leaders will deploy law enforcement to troubled areas and maybe make a site visit one afternoon or two. This is not enough. Sending in law enforcement agencies should be done speedily where problems arise, but that is just enough to contain conflict in an emergency situation. The real work, which is the work of true leadership, is to engage communities and to be able to do so from all levels. This is not a conversation that should even be done as political parties – it should be a coherent, conscious and united exercise of all parties and all sectors of society.

Everyone needs to go back to their constituencies, to their communities, to churches, to schools and to all sectors of society in order to make a real assessment of problems arising. These xenophobic tensions are evidently a cry that many in leadership are not hearing. So a time for listening is necessary. Within this national consultation is a time for education.

After the death of Chris Hani, when the country was at its most tense, Nelson Mandela demanded to speak to the entire nation in order to quell tempers that were almost at breaking point. He had assessed the tension of the time and knew that leadership was needed. If we assess the manner that we have been responding to this crisis, it is interesting to note that everyone is condemning this, that or the other one, releasing statements. However, the real work of talking to communities or the perpetrators of these violent acts is not being done. Studies are conducted, panels are put together, articles are written, but the actual work of talking to the real people, perpetrators and victims, is never really done. There is now more than enough reason to engage communities urgently and directly. To engage communities about human rights, dignity and the stories that have led these people to come to South Africa seeking to better their lives is of the utmost importance.

The more we fail to engage communities, the less we will know how respond to whatever it is that is causing them to be so hostile to foreign nationals. Every time law enforcement is deployed to stabilise a situation, that should be the beginning of intervention, not the end. Sending in law enforcement and then leaving is like wiping the floor but not bothering to close the tap. DM