“Ramaphosa’s Kwekwe Trip May Worsen Xenophobia In SA”

Social media commentator Davis Laque has said there could be an increase in xenophobic attacks in South Africa following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Zimbabwe on Sunday.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa hosted President Ramaphosa at his private farm in Kwekwe.

“At a time when South Africa faces a simmering xenophobia crisis, exclusively targeting Africans, secret meetings are not only inappropriate but expose a leadership kwashiorkor,” wrote Laque on X.

“Citizens deserve clarity on what is being discussed in their name. If anything at all.

“It’s being tone deaf and irresponsible to retreat to private engagements where society expects an open and coordinated confrontation of this growing regional emergency.

“The unaccounted meeting today signals a bullish detachment from the lived realities of ordinary people.”

Laque said the crisis facing South Africa requires a leadership indaba to find a comprehensive solution to migration, economic decline and social tensions.

He added that quiet diplomacy is merely a convenient cover for inaction, particularly by the ANC-led South African government.

“Imagine how the social and political movements agitating for the mass deportation of (undocumented) (African) immigrants in SA will react to these images of Pres CR casually holding fish at a dam at ED’s farm. They’ll feel offended. I anticipate a surge in violent attacks,” said Laque.

“It’s a historical indictment on the ANC (save for the Zuma years) that ‘fraternal relations with sister leadership movements’ is prioritised at the expense of democracy.

“The ANC has enabled excesses in the region, which have hollowed out economies and displaced millions.”

Laque said that even if the meeting was quiet diplomacy to deal with xenophobia in South Africa, or ZANU-PF’s succession tensions, it still looked bad.

“What role would Tagwirei, Chivhayo, Tungwarara et al, be playing in that endeavour?

“It’s really sad that the existence of these three gentlemen, beneficiaries of state-enabled monopolies through opaque tenders, continues to be forced on Zimbabweans.

“Now, they’ve moved from being passive beneficiaries of state capture into active financiers of political power.

“It is for these reasons I’ve laboured to explain that these secret meetings and accompanying optics are sickening.

“Meanwhile, for citizens, the reality of hardship persists!

“We deserve transparent leadership that confronts crises openly, not behind closed farm gates.”