Tutu told you so, Mr President

Four years ago, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu caused a spluttering avalanche of indignation when he expressed fears about the situation developing in South Africa as a result of growing gaps between the rich and the poor.

"Are we not building up much resentment that we may rue later?" Tutu asked in the 2004 annual Nelson Mandela Memorial lecture. "Many, too many, of our people live in gruelling, demeaning, dehumanising poverty. We are sitting on a powder keg."

The big bang may have just happened. It took just two weeks to kill nearly 50 people, displace 15 000 others, and get images of their burning, bloodied and terrified victims into the international spotlight.

In a previous post I mentioned about the 'foreigners' working for the charities and many others and their fear or reprisals. The unease permeates across the whole spectrum of being a 'foreigner' in the 'Rainbow Nation'. An English friend who came to live in Knysna with her husband 5 years ago wrote..."This xenophobia business is very scary - who next - us?" Their gardener John, a Malawian, has taken refuge with ten others, in Rheenendaal, a township 17kms outside Knysna. They were chased out of their location, had their houses broken into and their belongings stolen. He has started his journey to return to Malawi. He would rather die in his own country.