THE notion that "foreigners must go back to their home country after the World Cup" started spreading like wildfire in dry grass through certain Plett townships, as soon as the final football match was concluded on July 11.
In the early hours of Monday the 12th, a Somalian national's shop in Qolweni, Plett, was set alight and burned to ashes. The owner of the shack that housed the shop, Shakes Mthembu, his cousin Vuyani Jama, and two Somalian shopkeepers were asleep at the time, but managed to escape without injury. However, they lost all of their belongings in the blaze.
Attacks of this nature are not new to Qolweni; it was also the place where two years ago, residents embarked on a xenophobic campaign which caused suffering to many foreigners as well as South Africans.
The fact that this trend has reared its ugly head again, meant that foreign business owners in the Bitou community were scared of what would happen to them, and when it would be their turn to be targeted.
Conflicting emotions in this regard divided the community of Qolweni in the wake of the July 12 blaze. Some residents were vocal in their support, while others seemed to subconsciously encourage such attacks, arguing that foreigners took their jobs or forced them to close their businesses.
However, many people condemned these sentiments, regarding the foreign residents as fellowmen who also need a chance in life.
"Us South Africans, we don't want the competition and we don't want to share. That is not right - we need to take them as our brothers and sisters, so let's stop the xenophobic attacks," urged one Qolweni resident.
The local police must be commended for their visibility in the troubled township, patrolling the streets day and night to ensure stability and avert assaults of foreigners.
A forum was also formed to prevent future xenophobic attacks, comprising members of the police, social services, home affairs, Plett Business Chamber and other involved parties.
The general consensus during the forum's first meeting was that criminals should not be allowed to go about their business, using xenophobia as an excuse to perpetrate crimes.
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