South African authorities need to take quick action to stop the wave of violence against African immigrants who have gone to South African cities to seek a better life. Tensions have been brewing for some time but the current wave of violence has led to seven people being killed and 5,000 being displaced. It is a problem that someone of standing in the community could help trigger such xenophobia, but Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini inflamed emotions when he linked foreigners to crime and said: “Let us pop our head lice. We must remove ticks and place them outside in the sun. We ask foreign nationals to pack their belongings and be sent back”. Two weeks later he has pleaded that his comments were misconstrued.

President Jacob Zuma has spoken out with a more constructive tone, as several African states have recalled their ambassadors. His message to the immigrants in South Africa was: “We are firstly going to stop violence and then allow you to stay here in peace. It is not every South African who says go away, not at all. It is a very small number who say so. We don’t want the countries in the region where the citizens are going to look at each other in a hostile manner. We want to live as sisters and brothers”.

South Africa has always attracted people from across the continent who seek to use its more advanced economy to earn more money and lift themselves up. They should be part of the country’s progress, not victimised.