Africa is a Country

[In September 2008 the South African tabloid newspaper The Daily Sun] was investigated by South Africa’s national press ombudsman for supporting a deadly wave of violence against foreigners in townships.

The Daily Sun, according to the media watchdog group that lodged the complaint, had fanned the flames by calling immigrants “aliens,” in headlines such as “War on Aliens!”

“That was said by people who never really understood the reality of the South African situation,” [editor in chief Themba] Khumalo said.

Poor black South Africans, he said, had been growing increasingly angry about government failures and job competition from immigrants — tensions he said only the Sun had covered before the attacks…

In the end, the ombudsman dismissed the charge, agreeing with [publisher Deon du Plessis] that the term “alien” was technically accurate. But when the ruling was appealed, du Plessis agreed to stop using the word. He’s still mad about it.

“Bed-wetters,” he called those who complained. “They wanted to do reeducation camps here. They wanted to re-or-i-en-tate.”

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