Southern African film makers implore Southern Africa "governments, politicians and citizens to rise and send an unequivocal message to South Africa condemning these acts of violence."

We join the families who have fallen victims of this violence and offer our compassionate thoughts. Notwithstanding, we also implore our own governments, politicians and citizens to rise and send an unequivocal message to South Africa condemning these acts of violence and dissipating of innocent lives due to internal problems in South Africa.

In the last few days South African and indeed African News has been littered by deplorable acts of inhuman violence targeting many immigrants, particularly from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. The images emanating from the streets of Johannesburg and some outlying areas are horrendous and send a lot of chills for a country that is highly acclaimed for democratic practice in the sub-region. This is a very unfortunate development and is reminiscent of the very Apartheid era that the countries and nations' of the world deplored not long ago.

For South Africa, this single act among many should be a re-awakening that things are not in the right perspective. For the poor, and sometimes desperate immigrants who have now fallen victims of violence from their once 'brothers' and 'sisters' in South Africa. Zimbabweans, and in particular, those that have sought refuge in many parts of South Africa have not done so by choice. They are victims of circumstances. They have had to live their homeland due to among other reasons, the degenerating economic and political situation in that country.

As an institution based in Zambia - a country and people, which shared the desires and supported the liberation struggles in Southern Africa - including that of both Zimbabwe and South Africa among others - it is dismaying to see such kind of anger and frustrations being directed to each other. Indeed, the circumstance leading to this are many but if we go by the kind of rationale for perpetuating this violence, the South African leadership especially the political leadership (both President Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma) should play a central role in reminding South Africa itself on the neccessity to respect and tolerate the very people who kept them in their own countries in a quest to dismantle the apartheid regime. It is their moral and legal right to be at the fore-front of persuading and encourgaging tolerance in the new South Africa. Suffice to say that this is a very unfortunate development that needs to be addressed.

We join the families who have fallen victims of this violence and offer our compassionate thoughts. Notwithstanding, we also implore our own governments, politicians and citizens to rise and send an unequivocal message to South Africa condemning these acts of violence and dissipating of innocent lives due to internal problems in South Africa. The older generation of South Africa, need to rise to the occassion and stop this violence being perpetuated by the youths. In a similar vein, let us also try to address the circumstances leading to immigrants running away from their countries. We cannot allow Zimbabwe to channell over 5 million people away from their homes seeking livelihoods in neighbouring countries when only less than thirty years ago they were triumphantically taking black leadership and power away from the Ian Smith regime.

*Abdon Yezi is a Senior Partner at the Yezi-Arts Promotions and Productions and Board Chairperson of the Southern Africa Communication for Development.

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