Solemnly SomaliaAubrey ka Saki
Grounded by earthly forces between struggle-minded Mozambique and peaceful Kenya, lies Somalia, marked by a sad history of war torn territories in which thousands of innocent women and children are slain. Sentimental scenes of Somalia continue to be the focus of SABC Africa because of the dragging of feet by the Third World and the African Union. This is lonesome Somalia, land of long-tearful hours where sub-machine guns, heavy artillery and deafening sounds are heard daily that result in unmarked graves.All this is done because of power. The Islamic forces that rule are challenged by non-Islamic revolutionaries – is this an ethnic or a religious issue – you be the judge!
Rule of lawPeople cannot be governed through the barrel of the gun. Even racist regimes of the worst kind, including those of the National Party in South Africa were overthrown by a peaceful democracy. Ask PW Both and his cronies!
South Africa’s roleAfter the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was dissolved to form the African Union (AU), African eagle, Thabo Mbeki, its pragmatic architect and charismatic spearheader, declared that the AU would prove that it had not just changed in name but in character and objectives as well.Mbeki went on to say that African countries must stand up and be counted and that we should try and resolve our problems by ourselves. If the world wanted to see progress in Africa, they should pour vast funds to assist the good cause.God knows how far that wish is because right now Somalis are pouring in to Kenya and South Africa like floods into the sea.Being so influential in Africa and the world, our country is not doing enough. When South Africa speaks, the entire globe sits tight. Not that Somalia is the only African country with political upheavals, Sudan and Ivory Coast are other headaches for the AU.It’s time that South Africa used its influence to the full, right here in Africa and worldwide. Surely we are not like the other African states that fear sending supporting troops to troubled lands for fear of reprisals at home? Why can’t an African army be put in place to quell uprisings wherever they unrightfully emerge so as to save lives and prevent escalating wars and endless fleeing of human-beings to other countries?By the time I lay down my pen, thousands more refugees will have left their beloved country because of new uprisings. Will these ever end?
Consequently this kind of rule in Somalia has given birth to African fundamentalists who swear to shed their last drops of blood for a democratic government in their fatherland. It’s tit for tat because those of Muslim faith prefer Islamic rule. Right now Mogadishu is the centre of ignoble violence. And remember one thing – violence breeds violence which produces unnecessary slaughtering of humans by humans thereby daily increasing the numbers of widows and orphans. Black Africa has long been hit by revolutions and counter revolutions that have made the word stable very foreign in our dark continent.One thing is certain – the crisis in Somalia has done its worst. The African Union had better pull up its socks. Just when is the word “enough” to reach sensible ears so that the ravaged soil of the Somalis can be reconstructed?
CosatuIn Cosatu’s recent 9th congress, Cosatu was referred to as the shield of the African continent. Our federation, in its quest for stability outside South Africa seems to mainly focus on Zimbabwe’s rule by a tyrant called Robert Mugabe, our own Thabo Mbeki’s closest colleague, or rather comrade-in-arms. The fact is there is no revolution across the Limpopo, so the focus is grossly unfair. Worse scenarios are described in this article. In Cosatu’s 2015 programme of action, Cosatu should bear in mind that Africa needs the grounding of trade unions where you don’t find them and the strengthening of those that are in place to organise the unorganised for the implementation of not only democracy but socialism as well!
Neighbours But the Somalis’ problems are spilling over into neighbouring Kenya. Right now Kenya has about 82 000 refugees from neighbouring Somalia. This has resulted in densely populated scenes where hunger, poverty, famine, starvation and infectious diseases are the main threats to societies there.Kenyan farmers complain of their lost cattle, accusing Somalis of theft. This has led to shedding of blood between Kenyans and Somalis.Kenya cannot afford to feed her own citizens sufficiently. It is overburdened. The clashes that arise between Somalis and Kenyan farmers are a headache to Kenyan authorities. To send these poor people back to Somalia would be a satanic move. So what happens to them?Fresh clashes are also reported between the Islamic forces who unlawfully seized power in Somalia and the Muslim government of neighbouring Ethiopia, land of a former lion king of Africa, Ras Tafari, later known as Emperor Haile Selassie.For your records, Ras Tafari, an African that resembles world freedom-fighter Osama bin Laden, is a 225th generation Jew even though Ras Tafari was an upholder and staunch believer of Jesus Christ principles. Ras Tafari is the same godfather of the world renowned Rastafarians with a rather different form of religion!Ethiopian authorities do not go along with how power was enforced by the Islamic forces of Somali hence the outbreak of hostilities between Somali and Ethiopian authorities. Just when will Somalis find peace?Even some Somalis have managed to find their way to South Africa. Our visitors look down upon their black brothers and sisters here. Consider those Somalis who rapidly become shopkeepers and how much they pay the South Africans that they employ. In the centre of Uitenhage, a Somali businessman pays a KwaNobuhle resident a lousy R10 a day. Just what is this? Naked black-on-black exploitation!
Saki is a worker and Numsa member at Volkswagen SA