Xenophobia: Why South African Drivers Were Barred from Entering Zambia, Zimbabwe, Zambia

Truckers from some African countries have issued a warning to South African truck drivers not to cross their borders.

These drivers, who blocked some South African truckers from crossing over their border said it was their own way of responding to the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

In the video which is now making rounds on social media, the drivers said South African truckers will not be permitted to cross the borders of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Congo.

Although it was not quite clear which of the borders the video clip was recorded, the men said that “South African drivers would henceforth park their trucks at the borders or hire a native driver to drive into their country“.

The truckers also demanded that the South African driver who tapped the incident should take the message back home to his people.

“You are the one interviewing me, you tell your colleagues them in South Africa, we don’t like this shit which is happening,” he told the man.

“We are warning you in a polite way. You are here, you are not in South Africa. If we do you the way you are doing there, how are you going to feel? So, you have to know, tell your people, we are going to do it this way, no South African driver will cross these countries; Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania Mozambique, Congo.

“We don’t want drivers from there [South Africa]. If they want, they can drive up to the border, they park the truck and employee another driver to drive through these countries. It is what we are going to do. 50-50!

“Another thing, the employers, there is Namibia port there, Tanzania port there, why don’t they use these ports? We want South Africans to know that what they are doing is rubbish and no one likes that.”

Another man in the video who corroborated his colleague said if Africa must have truly free borders for other Africans, then every country must protest one another.

Other African countries have also reacted to the Xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa. We reported on how a Zambian radio station stopped playing South African songs and how the Zambian football team boycotted their match with South Africa.

On Sunday, South African truck driver launched a nationwide strike against the employment of foreign drivers, This strike led to the attack on businesses owned by Nigerians and other African nationals.