Yesterday, I spent some time at the Harmony Camp in Gordons Bay. This is the camp in the Helderberg for all of the displaced refugees out our side of the world. And yes, I know that I have been harping on this issue....

The first thing that struck me was the way so many people have banded together to help. All traditional divisions seem to have melted away through the act of giving aid to others. I joined the Muslims as they dished out lunch. Chatting to some of the ladies, they had been busy since early peeling potatoes (120kg of them) and preparing food. Feeding 1500-2000 people is no small task. Yet this lunch effort, as well as lunch for the whole week, was given through the generosity of their small Muslim community in the area. Most of this camp seems to be manned by someone or other of a religious persuasion and everyone seems to be working side by side in harmony. There is a strong element of people feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. Something inside me rejoiced at the fact that all people at their very core are compassionate loving beings and that no matter what we are, we can look after the good of our fellow man!

The other thing that touched me was the lack of anger. I asked some people if they were angry and most said no. The rest said that they were angry because their stuff got wet in the rain. This was of course not the most comprehensive survey. Hmmmm, these people have been attacked, they fear for their lives, they have been booted out of their housing, they have been forced to stay in tents with far too many other people, in the rain, they stand in long lines for clothes, food, and showers and they are not angry???? I would have been livid!! I am in awe of that attitude. It almost seems as if there is a ray of hope within all of these people. I guess hope based on a slim chance that they may become legal through this process. It reminds one of the example set by a South African hero who after 27 years in jail lead us all in a spirit of peace and reconciliation!

One of the guys I know went home to his house the other night. The next day he was kindly informed by his neighbours that he had best be gone by that evening or there would be consequences! That makes my blood run cold. It also makes me angry, so angry that I am keen to go over there and stir up some trouble. And yet, then I would be perpetuating the cycle of violence, in order to prove that my way is the only way!

So on the one hand, I am moved by the deep compassion and love shown by so many. On the other, I am appalled by the darkness. Which way are you going to go?

I visited the camp for refugees of violence in Gordons Bay today. There are about 1,500 people housed there with this number expected to grow. Disaster Relief seems to be in charge of the big items like tents and food. Members of churches have banded together and are providing all sorts of other social aid. In order for this camp to function, there is a requirement for about 80 volunteers.

In a twisted paradox, the people in the camp are bored and frustrated and yet volunteers are still required. Seems rather a waste of human capital! I have been assured that the idea is to reduce reliance on volunteers and get these people working to help themselves. Not knowing how long this crisis will continue obviously complicates the process. Of one thing I can assure you, staying in a camp with another 1499 bored and unhappy individuals is not my idea of fun. Neither is the soup and couple of slices of bread for breakfast and dinner!

What a tragedy that so many have been displaced by our fellow countryman’s greed. That so many have lost their livelihood and now are faced with an uncertain and undoubtedly bleak future.

There is heaps of relief being showered on these people. Volunteers are doing awesome work all over the place. My question is why do we not have the same level of charity and time to shower on our own people in normal times? Is it because our own desperate fellow South Africans do not elicit the same compassion within us? Are we not as embarrassed about the plight of the average South African as we are of foreigners?

I sincerely believe that the solution to our countries problems lies with every one of us adding our talents and resources into the mix. Like it or not, you and I need to get off our butts and make a difference!

And if you are already off your butt, please kick the rest of us off ours!!!

Thabo Mbeki told us all that we should be ashamed about this wave of Xenophobia. Although I think that this is aimed at those perpetrating the attacks, I am ashamed. I understand that South Africans are upset to see foreigners in jobs when they sit at home, idle. I also understand that government has failed the vast majority of the people that elected it. But this is barbaric!

On the other side it is great to see the community spirit that has developed as people band together to help all of those who have been booted out of their homes. In my idyllic part of the world, thousands of people are camped out in church halls, warehouses, garages and people’s homes. It smacks of a biblical response as normal people reach out and cloth, feed and shelter these people in need.

I am not sure how this is all going to end. It is all very well to say, we are sorry and all is well where you live, please go back. If I was a foreigner and had been forced to flee my home, would I be comfortable going back at all? I am sad that we have not seen South Africans living in the same areas standing up and saying, don’t worry, we will protect you – come on back! You can almost see why foreign communities tend to stick together, think of Italians in Brooklyn and South Africans in Sydney, because there is safety in numbers.

I am encouraged by the on the ground response to this crisis, that makes me proud to be a South African. For the rest I hang my head in shame.

I propose a new national anthem – an old Depeche mode song, off the once banned 101 album:

People are people so why should it be

You and I should get along so awfully

So we're different colours

And we're different creeds

And different people have different needs

It's obvious you hate me

Though I've done nothing wrong

I never even met you

So what could I have done

I can't understand

What makes a man

Hate another man

Help me understand

People are people so why should it be

You and I should get along so awfully

Help me understand

Now you're punching and you're kicking

And you're shouting at me

I'm relying on your common decency

So far it hasn't surfaced

But I'm sure it exists

It just takes a while to travel

From your head to your fist

I can't understand

What makes a man

Hate another man

Help me understand