Xenophobic violence has generated public debates on a wide range of themes, such as the meaning of “being African”; issues of identity and values; the relationship between South Africa and the rest of Africa; the role of African states in the struggle against apartheid as a corrective to perceptions of "separateness" from the rest of the continent; and a crisis of leadership.

That last point continues to dominate public debates and newspapers. There is a general feeling that a leadership vacuum has been exposed by the xenophobic violence. The events in Zimbabwe are a case in point. Yesterday, June 4, the leader of the opposition party was arrested, detained for eight hours, and was later released. This happened at a time when two of Africa’s most powerful leaders were meeting in South Africa -- the presidents of Nigeria and South Africa. It’s a historic moment and opportunity for these two leaders to use the crisis in Zimbabwe and the xenophobic violence to articulate a vision for Africa informed by human rights, justice, democracy, and nonviolence, and to make a commitment to stand up against any violation of these values in Africa. The situation in Zimbabwe affords them an opportunity to practice and promote this vision and values. It remains to be seen if this moment in history will be capitalized upon or allowed to slip.

Thank you for your prayers. So far there have been no more reports of xenophobic violence. However, the problem currently being faced is the impact of the violence on thousands of foreign nationals. The government has set up temporary shelters. Several organisations, including Oxfam, are monitoring the situation to ensure that the shelters meet health and safety standards. The situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate – please continue to pray. God bless and thanks for your support.

Nontando Hadebe, a former Sojourners intern, is originally from Zimbabwe and is now pursuing graduate studies in theology in South Africa.