Former President Thabo Mbeki has drawn striking parallels between recent riots in the UK and potential unrest in South Africa.
Mbeki warns of the dangers posed by ‘xenophobic afrophobia,’ suggesting that such negative forces could lead to a ‘moronic inferno.’ He singled out Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie as a proponent of this inflammatory rhetoric.
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In July, a string of riots erupted in England following a tragic incident where a mentally disturbed individual fatally stabbed three children. This led to widespread unrest, including attacks on a mosque and violent clashes with the police, fueled by misinformation that the murderer was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Despite a police probe revealing the assailant was a 17-year-old boy from a legally migrated Rwandan family, the riots persisted for days. King Charles III had to intervene with a call for unity and mutual respect.
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Mbeki emphasized that the UK’s turmoil mirrors the situation in South Africa, where many feel ‘excluded and abandoned.’ He cited a high voter boycott rate in recent elections in both countries, attributing it to a sense of disenfranchisement.
Like in the UK, these disaffected individuals are not aligned with the far-right but are instead neglected by democratic politics. This alienation, Mbeki warned, could be exploited by negative forces to incite similar unrest in South Africa.
Mbeki urged South Africa to address ‘xenophobic afrophobia’ actively as part of its social and political agenda. Citing instances of ethno-sectarian violence in the UK, he noted that such sentiments reveal worrying social fractures. South Africa must strive to include those who feel marginalized in its narrative to stave off potential unrest.
