Musician hot under the collar over xenophobia

World-famous musician and Soweto resident Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse has attributed the xenophobic attacks in the township to "self-hatred".

Mabuse, who has travelled throughout Africa and beyond, said people of Soweto must deal with xenophobia like they tackle racism.

“These attacks are a product of self-hatred, we hate ourselves so much that we attack people like us.

“The community of Soweto must fight xenophobia and other social ills the way we fought apartheid, and how we continue to fight racism,” he said.

Mabuse dismissed perceptions that part of the attacks on foreign business people could have been because of, among other things, the unemployed and poverty in the township.

“South Africa is not the only country in the continent where there is hunger. There is hunger in other parts of the continent but we hardly hear of xenophobic attacks and looting from businesses of foreign nationals,” he said.

He blamed the lack of consciousness. “The previous system degraded us, but we must urgently restore values of ubuntu before we finish each other.”