Xenophobic Cry

The piece I wrote with a broken heart

I might not be a South African


But I'm black, my skin is the same as yours

My colour is the same as yours

My genes are African, nothing but African

When your leaders were beaten by whites

I was there to shelter them

I was patient with them

I offered them food, shelter,

Most of all, I offered them protection


I might be a South African


I can't speak Zulu, cause I'm Vhenda

I can't speak Zulu, cause I'm Shangaan

I don't know what an elbow is in Zulu

As much as you don't know it in my language

Since when was Zulu the only South African language?

Yes...............I'm not from Gauteng

I was not born here, but I'm South African

Where should I go if you beat me

I'm not beating your father, mother, brother or sister who works at my area in the mines

I'm not calling them makwerekwere though they can't speak my language.


I might be dark in complexion


I might have the foreigners looks

I might have the foreigners body structure

Now I am scared to go to the only place that I call home

I'm scared of working down the street without my ID

Whites wanted me to do that centuries ago

Now you, my black brother is acting white


Why should you Black South Africans do this?


What makes you think that you better than me?

Who told you that I'm responsible for your unemployment?

Who told you that I'm less human

If I need to go back to Vhenda........let all the Zulus go back to KZN

Let all the Tswana's go back to Botswana

Let all the Sotho's go back to Lesotho

Let all the Ndebele's go back to Kwandebele

Let all the Xhosa's go back to Eastern Cape

Yes............let all the Swati's go back to Swaziland


Is this not ignorance?


Your unemployment is your responsibility

Use your intellect

Get up and work

Let education empower you

Seek humanity


Before 1994 you blamed whites

Now you are blaming me

Who are you going to blame after chasing me away?

Who are you going to blame after killing me?


For what it's worth.......................

I'm sorry I was not born here

I'm sorry I can't speak Zulu

I'm sorry for being too dark for your Joburg

I'm sorry for cleaning the toilets you don't want to clean

I'm sorry for doing your garden

I'm sorry for repairing your shoes

I'm sorry for protecting your leaders while they were in Exile

Yes.....................what you call Exile...........is my country

And most of all.......I'm sorry for building South African infrastructure

Please my brothers let there be peace and prosperity amongst black African people.

Written by a Teary Black African ......................

( Author unknown )