The resentments of those in grinding poverty in SA are real, and massive

I pray that should there ever be a time when you raise your hand to strike me, you could see the pain behind the journey that forced me to leave my home and brought me to your land. Maybe an understanding of that pain will cause you to lower your fist and offer your hand.

SHOOT: Ignore them has been a habit that places us in mutual peril.

clipped from www.thedailymaverick.co.za 2010! The world is coming to South Africa’s shores! Let’s have some music, or even better something cheerful to get us dancing. Put the guns and knives away, you crazy kids, bring out the flowers and bake some cinnamon cookies with their welcoming aroma. Everybody smile! It’s time to “show house” to the millions of eyes upon us. But scratch through the veneer and it’s a different reality. The flight of Zimbabweans and others into SA put a spark to the powder keg and highlighted severe inequalities. The department of home affairs states a total of 300 people cross the border from Zimbabwe daily seeking asylum. With no job prospects they ultimately end up on the handout list with millions of other South Africans who have been waiting even longer.