South African actor Bonga Dlamini has called on his countrymen to stop attacking fellow Africans and called on them to love one another.
Recent xenophobic unrest sent shock waves earlier this month. Foreign nationals were attacked in South Africa during a spate of violent activity that led to shops being looted and property vandalized. The renowned actor who was born in KwaZulu Natal spoke out on the attacks.
Unlike other influential African billionaires like Aliko Dangote and other sleek celebrities who raised their concerns on social media like twitter to slam the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, mostly in Johannesburg South Africa’s economic hub. Bonga told Daily Afrika that the attacks shocked him.
“There is nothing like an African being surprised that there is an African being next to me, Africans have loved each other,” He said.
“For example, a South African will tell you a story like this man was attacking or robbing everybody. But the common thing is that an African is attacking an African that’s what I know for sure.” he told Daily Afrika in an exclusive interview.
According to Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.The xenophobic attacks left twelve people dead. Ten of these were South Africans and two foreign nationals.
Many foreigners left South Africa including 179 Nigerians who left South Africa aboard Air Peace flight last Wednesday. Also, a group of approximately 500 Mozambicans were repatriated from South Africa to Matola, Maputo province.
Currently, scores of displaced foreign nationals live in horror at two campsites in Katlehong township – Tsolo and DH Williams hall where they are housed temporarily. This comes after they were left homeless after the outbreak of xenophobic unrest.
“Why are we fighting now, why were we not fighting 1000 years ago? The problem has never been Africans, the problem will never be Africans.” He says.
Mr Dlamini tries to theorise the problem by framing it as a struggle for resources.
“This is what is going on Africans, they are in a situation where they had to fight for limited resources. There are more people and there are fewer resources. That’s where the problem is. The person who is killing Africans is the person who provides resources.” He adds.
He claims Africans love each other but the resource distribution is driving them to conflict.
“For me, Africans have love each other but someone made fewer resources and more people in one place that’s what I am saying. People are in desperate situations,” he said.
The xenophobic violence sent shock waves across the African continent. President Cyril Ramaphosa was even booed by the Zimbabweans at the late former president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe’s funeral on Saturday, September 14. They heckled him when he was about to give his farewell speech at the quarter full National Sports Stadium in the capital Harare.
Who is he?
Bonga acted on Uzalo the SABC telenovela as Mkhonto Xulu, Isidingo, Isibaya, A Place Called Home, It’s for Life and many more. Currently, Bonga part of the prominent South African television soap opera Muvhango which clocks over 5.5 millions viewers on SABC 2.
“Currently, I am doing Muvhango on SABC 2. It’s very interesting, I play Qhawe who is in the business and investments, he runs a business let me put it like that. It’s not culture, beliefs, norms and language only but its also business. It comes with everything which is Zulu.” he explained to Daily Afrika.
Bonga is also a fanatic Zion Christian Church member in Zimbabwe.
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