Xenophobia Persistent And Ongoing Crisis In South Africa

South Africa and Xenophobia

ICMS, Inc News Reports

By Tom Okure, Ph.D.

Summary and Context

Xenophobia is the irrational fear, hatred, or prejudice against people from other countries, cultures, or ethnic backgrounds. It typically manifests as a deep-seated hostility toward outsiders or anything perceived as foreign. The continuous and persistent crisis of Xenophobia in South Africa is creating major tensions with other African countries.  

Media reports indicate South Africa is experiencing a deepening geopolitical and social crisis caused by a persistent and frequent resurfacing of tensions associated with xenophobia, economic frustration, and social media conflict. According to a documentary report by The Africa News Channel, a single controversial media comment has once again ignited a broader continental debate regarding immigration, labor, and African unity.

This report summarizes the key themes and core issues in South African News and social media posts that have been brought to the world's attention. 

• Violence and Targeting of Migrants Are Escalating: Many recent online videos that are circulating indicate the looting of African-owned shops and the targeting of migrant businesses across various South African communities. The government of South Africa does not appear to have control of this problem, as it has persisted over the years despite attempts to stop it.

• Online Outrage Appears To Be The Catalyst: A televised interview and comments by a Ghanaian returnee alleging that South Africa's high unemployment can be attributed to a lack of work ethic ("don't want to work") have severely exacerbated tensions. According to a documentary report by the African News Channel, this careless utterance triggered an intense online backlash, sparking a digital "war" among South African, Ghanaian, and Kenyan social media users.

• Socio-Economic Foundations: Analysts indicate that migrants are used as scapegoats for deepening economic and systemic hardships in South Africa, or perhaps African governments collectively are failing to manage increased immigration pressures and economic distribution.

• Consequence for the African Continent: Beyond the frequent localized unrest in South Africa, the state of affairs raises serious questions about appears to be an acceptance and normalization of xenophobia and its long-term threat to the ideal of a unified Africa. Watch the video below, and please like, share, and subscribe to this blog. 

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The South African government must address xenophobia because of its adverse consequences, including the following:  

• Discrimination and Social Exclusion: Many immigrants from other African nations are feeling marginalized due to their treatment by native South Africans in such areas as business opportunities, housing, employment, and their legal rights, even though many of these immigrants hold South African citizenship.

• Inflammatory and Dehumanizing Rhetoric: As the video above, in this report, clearly demonstrates, a minor and unguarded statement by an immigrant can become a trigger for xenophobic attacks. Foreigners in South Africa, especially immigrants from Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, etc., are hated for their business economic achievements and too frequently stereotyped or scapegoated for domestic issues, such as economic downturns, unemployment, or rising crime rates.

• Cultural Protectionism: South African black native population appears to be unfortunately normalizing the extreme rejection of foreign cultures under the belief that they will "dilute" or destroy the host country's heritage.

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Thank you!

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All rights reserved by Tom Okure, Ph.D. CEO of Inter-Continental Mgt. Systems, Inc. (or ICMS Inc.). ICMS, Inc., is a multifaceted business and management consulting firm with its head office in Albany, New York

Kenyan born Eliud Kipchoge sets a new historical record as first person to complete a marathon run in under two hours.

ICMS, Inc Reports

By Tom Okure, PhD

Eliud Kipchoge on Saturday October 12, 2019 did not disappoint his native country Kenya, his fans or his sponsors INEOS as he set a new historical record by becoming the first person to complete a marathon run in under two hours.

Eliud Kipchoge who is 34 years and currently the world Olympic marathon champion successfully completed a specially prepared course for him in one hour 59:40 minutes around Vienna’s Prater Park. The run started at 08:15 on the Reichsbrücke bridge that spans the Danube before winding through to the Austrian capital's iconic Prater Park. During the run, Kipchoge averaged about 2.50 minutes per kilometer.

The British chemical company INEOS organized and funded the run labelled and intensively promoted as the INEOS 1.59 challenge. The whole country of Kenya has been on nerves with heightened excitement awaiting the result of this run. This was Kipchoge’s second attempt to break the barrier, having failed to accomplish the challenge by 26 seconds in Monza. 

During the Vienna’s Prater Park run, Kipchoge was directed by seven man rotating teams of pacesetters, who are renowned athletes in their own right. There was also an electric pace car which shone green lasers onto the track. Kipchoge ran amazingly consistently achieving one-kilometre times fluctuating between 2.48 and 2.52 seconds and reaching the halfway target point of the run in 59.35 seconds, 11 seconds inside the track.

Eliud Kipchoge was seen pounding his chest and pointing to the crowd in joy as he advanced towards the finish line, and becoming the first man in marathon history to cover the 26.2 mile marathon distance in under two hours. At the end of the run, Kipchoge said "I am the happiest man in the world to be the first human to run under two hours and I can tell people that no human is limited. I expect more people all over the world to run under two hours after today."

Despite this outstanding human accomplishment, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) indicates that it cannot recognize the run as an official record because it was not achieved in an open competition. Nevertheless, IAAF president Sebastian Coe welcomed the record attempt.

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All rights reserved by Tom Okure, Ph.D President and CEO of Inter-Continental Mgt. Systems, Inc (or ICMS, Inc). The information included in this article may not be used, reproduced, transmitted, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written permission of ICMS, Inc. The author Dr. Tom Okure is President of ICMS, Inc, a multifaceted business and management consulting firm with its head office in Albany, New York. Dr. Okure is a writer, author, business/management consultant, public policy advisor and commentator and a change advocate.

2017 Rhino Charge

2017 Rhino Charge

A unique annual fund raising event in Kanya which raises money to safeguard Kenya's mountain water towers and forest ecosystems, through the use of electric fences designed to shield local farmers from crop raiding wildlife. This year 65 teams try to reach 13 Guard posts located in the bush, in the shortest distance possible.


Watch and learn about this noble event:

147 innocent students, slaughtered by Al-Shabaab terrorist group at Garissa University College in Kenya.

Massacre of 147 students by the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorist group at Garissa University College campus in Kenya.

By Tom Okure, P.D
April 4, 2015

Massacre at Kenyan Garissa University College

Chilling picture of the bodies of 147 innocent students, slaughtered by the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorist group, on Thursday April 2, 2015 at Garissa University College campus in Kenyan. 

The massacre is the highest in Kenya by the militant group since the 1988 attack on the embassy of the United States where more than 200 people were killed. Kenyan media reports and statements issued by the Kenyan National Disaster Operation Centre indicate that 79 people were also injured and 587 people were evacuated from the area. 

Kenyan forces killed 4 terrorist
during a counter operation 

Somalia-based Al-Shabaab
Terrorist Group

Four insurgents were killed by Kenyan forces during a counter operation on the University campus. 

Authorities also say that five people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the massacre at University College and a bounty of $220,000 has been issued for information leading on the incident. 

Kenyan authorities alsay they have arrested and detained three people attempting to cross into Somalia. The three arrested are alleged to be associated with one Mohamed Mohamud, also referred to as Dulyadin Gamadhere, a former teacher at a Kenyan Madrassa Islamic school who Kenyan authorities say coordinated the Garissa attack.