Zimbabweans in South Africa not criminals

By Tichaona Sibanda
11 July 2006

A Zimbabwean journalist working in Johannesburg has dismissed the notion that Zimbabweans have become ‘kingpins of violence’ in South Africa.

Dingilizwe Ntuli, a journalist working for the Sunday Times said it is utter madness for anyone to blame Zimbabweans for a spate of violent crimes that have been perpetrated in and around Johannesburg in the last four weeks.

‘I do agree there are a few Zimbabweans who are criminals here, but the majority are law abiding citizens. If (Zimbabweans) they were behind violent activities here, I’m sure they wouldn’t have left Zimbabwe. They would have stayed there where its easier to commit a crime than here,’ Ntuli said.

The South African media has gone to great lengths to blame Zimbabweans for a spate of crimes committed in the last few months, alleging that disgruntled former soldiers have trekked down south to make a living through violent activities.

Rising xenophobia has also been blamed for fuelling the anti-Zimbabwe campaign. The media has been very critical of Zimbabweans, describing them as a ‘flood’ and stereotyping them as criminals.

The way the South African government treats Zimbabweans has to an extent determined the attitude of the local population towards them. Ntuli believes this has also set the tone for a negative representation of Zimbabweans in local newspapers.

‘It is a pity that newspapers here use the Zimbabwe issue to sell their papers. If you look at the recent bloody shoot-out in Jeppestown, police said there were no Zimbabweans involved but the media were relentless in insisting there were,’ he said.

While observers admit that the post-apartheid government is doing its best to transform the country into a prosperous, well-administered modern society, the fact remains that there is a widespread perception among South Africans that things are not moving fast enough. Ntuli added that the xenophobia issue is coming out now because people are demanding jobs.