South Africa: The Hurt Runs Deep, The Tears Burn. Zibu’s Story

The community of Eshowe in South Africa took to the streets last night and in the early hours of the morning today, burning farms, following the murder of 30-year-old Gift Sphamandla Xulu… a young man who went fishing with friends on a farm, without the necessary permission.

The furious burning of sugar fields and stoning of cars allegedly came as a result of rumours that had spread like wildfire after the shooting – claiming the victim was an innocent little boy, and that his killer was a white farmer…

BUT according to the SA Police Commissioner, the victim was 30, and he was shot by a security guard. The Zululand Observer reports that Corby Hill farm is owned by a Dr Kabashane, who according to social media posts is a black man.

The resulting commentary on social media has revealed the deep, deep hurt that South Africans of all colours are feeling – with one post revealing the wounds that have still not healed… from a past in which many black people felt treated as less than human for so many decades.

The post was written by Zibu MaSotobe Mthiyane, who used to live in Eshowe. And many of her facts were not correct, but her message was important in conveying the hurt and anger that has been carried for so long.

Unfortunately, once the facts were pointed out to Zibu, she chose not to update and edit her message.

Zibu told SAPeople on Thursday evening she “can only be certain of Jabulani’s story as it happened in my family” and that “on hearing of the story today, it brought back that time”.

Earlier Thursday afternoon Zibu published the following message on Facebook which has already been shared over 1,800 times.

“When I was in High School the owner of this farm* killed my cousin Jabulani ?? he was 13 years old. He was caught walking in the sugar cane with friends from school who ran away and he was beaten to death and killed in Grade 5. [*In a later update Zibu said she had spoken to her mother who reminded her it was a farm employee who killed her cousin… but the farmer, she said, never came to the funeral. Zibu told SAPeople that Jabulani “was beaten to death at that farm. No one was ever arrested and so we don’t know who it was that killed him – the farm owner or employee, but the farmer never came to explain or condemn the act.”]

“My family mourned and I was angry but the white man was big and no one followed it up in my family.

“This past week his foreman [security guard] found another little boy [30-year-old man] fishing in the river that runs through his farm and he was shot dead ??, Today my town is on fire ?. White people will say the community is violent, they will say burning his farm is barbaric ??? and I will feel like I need an AK47 in my hands.

“I want to feel its weight, I want to feel its release!! Because when you bury your young, killed like ants ? it’s only a stone, fire ? and an AK that can console you and allow air to flow through your lungs!! HEAR us when we say poverty changes things in us that education cannot dump down!! ??

“I am in tears b cause I feel as if it’s my family being avenged, Jabulani died a long time ago, but when I saw those flames ? his name reappeared, he was the sun of my uncle Fana, he was bright, dedicated and he died on his way back from School.

“They brought us a corpse and instead of fighting, my uncles told us never to use that short cut (we added 3km extra) to get home. Azania is our land ✊? we suffer, we die, we speak, we thrive ✊?. #Izwe.”

Zibu’s story affects all of us. The pain of one is the pain of all… The tears and anger and desire for retaliation are burning… but so too is the love that all South Africans have for this land. It is hoped that under the leadership and guidance of President Cyril Ramaphosa South Africans can find a way to hear one another’s stories, walk in each other’s shoes, cry together, heal and move forward as one.

***

This evening the ANC said it is “deeply concerned” by the loss of a life that led to the “massive destruction of infrastructure and sugar-cane” in the Umlalazi Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

The ANC said: “Mr Xulu and his friends were caught fishing at Corby Hill Estate farm without the necessary permission and this led to a clash between them and the security guards as a consequence of which he was gunned down and lost his life.

“The ANC calls on the community of Umlalazi to exercise restrain and allow Law Enforcement Agencies to restore order and stability so further loss of life and damage to property can be avoided.

“The Leadership of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, will be working together with the Provincial Government and Law Enforcement Agencies, to ensure that all perpetrators are brought to book.”