In the wake of recent xenophobic attacks on foreigners in Africa’s most industrialized economy South Africa, Zambia and Nigeria retaliated by forcing a business discontinuation of businesses of SA origin on 05 September. Students from tertiary education institutions spread the contagion to most shopping malls with SA businesses ranging from super markets such as Shoprite, Pick n Pay and Choppies to Games stores and Multichoice. All SA banks at shopping malls across the country were closed for business. The rampant students also stormed the South African High commission burning the poster that leads to the embassy premises.
Security was deployed to contain the situation with very strong condemnation on the students by Zambia’s Head of State on this riotous behavior. Notable heads of state in the region even boycotted the ongoing World Economic Forum in Cape Town in protest over the SA xenophobic attacks on foreigners.
This was supposed to be a peaceful protest but the visibly angry students morphed this demonstration into a looting exercise sending a strong signal to their liberation struggle counterparts that enough is enough.
“These attacks sometimes signal how important it is to buy Zambia to support our own. We need to build capacity and start to support our own products then we would not worry about where to buy it SA business temporarily discontinue,” an Analyst said.
Zambia has enjoyed ties with South Africa for decades since the struggle for independence at a time when the copper producer housed SA freedoms fighters who fought the apartheid regime.
Most shopping malls namely East Park, Novare, Manda Hill and Arcades that house businesses of South Africa origin were closed yesterday morning. Business discontinuity is very costly for the economy and it is unknown how long this will run for.
Compiled by BT.
