Damned If They Do, Etc.
More than a week ago I wrote the following:
Yet another indicator of how bad things are in Zimbabwe? Even with the recent explosions of xenophobic violence aimed at foreigners and especially Zimbabweans in South Africa, huge numbers of immigrants continue to cross the border and head directly for the maelstrom in Johannesburg and its environs. They have undertaken the quick calculus and decided that whatever is going on in South Africa is no match for what they confront on a daily basis in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
And while countless Zimbabwean immigrants are choosing to remain in South Africa, increasing numbers have decided to take their chances and return to Robert Mugabe’s clutches. Zimbabweans working and living in South Africa right now, especially those in the midst of the maelstrom in poor urban areas, many of whom fled Zimbabwe because of the dual edges of the country’s political strife and economic chaos, now face some most unpleasant options.