Phoenix rises from the ashes to try and heal racial rift

A peace walk, a community gifting a car to a young woman whose vehicle was torched and a friendly soccer match.

Efforts are being made to heal two broken communities in the greater Phoenix area and surrounding Amaoti, Inanda and Zwelisha, which have been divided by disharmony, hate speech and acts of violence that emerged during the recent civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Tensions have flared between Indians and black Africans over killings that took place during the unrest. The latest death toll stands at 36.

Anglican bishop and human rights activist Rubin Phillip is at the forefront of efforts to mend divisions and bolster race relations as deputy chair of the moral regeneration and social cohesion council.

The council – headed by premier Sihle Zikalala – is part of a push by government, religious leaders and civil society to end racial tension and restore stability.

Phillip said on Tuesday that the main objective of the initiative was to “get people together especially across the racial divide”.

“Given what has happened in Phoenix and elsewhere we’ve decided to not only initiate these kind of actions but to involve as many of the role players as possible. We don’t want to just leave this to government but to include civil society.

“There was the hugely successful peace walk recently and the soccer tournament held in Phoenix on Sunday, which involved members of both communities.

“There was a balance in terms of racial composition. There were a lot of conversations. Very many people spoke to me and asked that organisers do more such events because they realised this is what really builds unity,” said Phillip.

He believes people are tired of political speeches and promises.

“They wanted to do something that was fun and would get them together.

“I felt very encouraged. Given the gravity of the situation, the brokenness, the harsh words that have been spoken, the threats that have been made, given all of that, I think the smallest initiatives around social cohesion are very important.

“There are a number of approaches on how to deal with the divisions and disharmony we are experiencing.

“One is to speak out against it, the second is to involve all sorts of organisations, but most importantly it is what the people on the ground are doing that matters most in my book .”

Given the gravity of the situation, the brokenness, the harsh words, the threats, I think the smallest of initiatives around social cohesion are very important.

—  Anglican bishop Rubin Phillip

One such effort was that of the ABC Forum of Churches, a group of churches based in Phoenix, together with community and civil society members who pooled their resources to gift Zandile Mthembu, a young woman whose car was torched allegedly by those manning checkpoints in the area, with replacement vehicle.

It was an effort lauded by Zikalala at a press briefing on Tuesday where he and police minister Bheki Cele provided an update on matters related to the situation in Phoenix.

“We have seen the ABC Forum represented by pastor Justin Naidoo, which is a group of churches based in Phoenix, pulling their resources to give a car to Zandile Mthembu. Zandile’s car was torched by people manning a roadblock during the unrest.      

“The social solidarity demonstrated by the community of Phoenix in pursuit of peace and unity, among all people across different races, must be applauded.

“We need to build harmony and coexistence among the people especially in the area of Phoenix and surroundings,” said Zikalala.

He conceded he was concerned about the “potential outbreak of racial tensions going forward and that’s why we think we should all be committed in ensuring that the Phoenix massacre and the killings that we saw in Chatsworth and Northdale do not happen in future.

“That is why we are saying we need a programme that deals with all social and causal factors and that talks to the issues of racial orientation and understanding.

“To be an African does not mean ... you are a criminal and you don’t have a right to travel and pass through some of the roads.

If we want to address a permanent solution, address inequality.

—  Sihle Zikalala, KZN premier

“We do need to educate ourselves consciously so that in future when we are faced with such things, we don’t embrace what others did.

“But we can’t also run away from the reality that in some of the areas while there was an emergence of vigilantism, drug dealers have been a concern. Therefore we do need to deal with that.

“We need to socialise the communities. Hence we are emphasising arts, culture and sport.

“We also need to address the issue of socioeconomic inequality. I think that these two are very critical if we are to address stability.

We need to socialise people to live together, understand they are human beings.

“If we want to address a permanent solution, address inequality. In addressing inequality there will be no areas that are preserved or dominated by a particular racial group. This is the result of the persistent legacy of apartheid.”

Shack-dwellers’ movement Abahlali baseMjondolo said in a statement that the tension in Phoenix could be linked to criminality rather than racism.

“We do not know exactly what happened Phoenix during the riots. It does not seem that anyone knows the whole story for sure. But it is clear that there were murders. The African and Indian people that we work with in Phoenix all want the murders to be urgently investigated and prosecuted. A whole community cannot be held accountable for the actions of these gangsters.

“Wherever there is racism this must be acknowledged and directly dealt with. But this idea that all Indians are racist is not true and the attempt to build anger and divide people with the aim of starting a war between Indians and Africans is very, very dangerous.”