Top of the Vox: Focus on xenophobia

“We are working here to live a good life, to get a nice house. Our dream is to go back to Ethiopia one day, when we are able to. But most of the Ethiopians and the Somalis who run spaza shops – they die in their spaza shops.”
Ra’eesa Pather spoke to Nesru Kedir, who runs a spaza shop in Khayelitsha about what it takes to make a living – in this case, risking his life to do his job each day.

Must-read, this week
You may have noticed that media coverage of xenophobia has significantly tapered off since the attacks last month. But xenophobia is about more than headline news, which is why we’re not letting our focus slide. Find out what immigrants in Cape Town feel about the situation; how xenophobia is affecting a Malawian’s livelihood in Durban; why Africans on the other side of the Limpopo continue to migrate south; and why we hope the commission into xenophobia headed by Navi Pillay will have teeth.

Don’t miss
Next month, CEOs will sleep on the streets for a night in the Radio 702 Sun International SleepOut. Sure, they’ll be raising money for Girls & Boys Town, and drawing attention to homelessness but the event, with its undertones of voyeurism and poverty porn, leaves us feeling a little queasy.

Toon of the week
Wits SRC president: down with white supremacy, up with Hitler!

Weekly hangout: Showkat Shafi
Yesterday The Daily Vox managing editor Faranaaz Parker spoke to photojournalist Showfat Shafi about covering the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Find out about Shafi’s experience in his own words, or you can watch the video. 

Weekend special
The South African film and television industry hasn’t exactly done a stirling job at bringing minority languages into the mix post-1994. But film maker Sihle Hlophe is on the case: her 100% siSwati short film Who I Am has been screened at several local and international festivals. Pontsho Pilane sat down with Hlophe to find out what motivates her.

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– Featured image: By Safiyyah Patel.