Johannesburg - Sometimes facing the truth we are afraid of is what makes us who we are supposed to be, a wise woman once said.
This week, I thought of that quote as the controversy around xenophobia and criminality raged in the wake of recent attacks against foreigners.
What is apparent is that perhaps we shouldn’t be so caught up in definitions that we fail to see the wood for the trees.
What happened in Durban last week to hundreds of Malawians, where three were killed and many attacked, was criminal and xenophobic.
As was the stabbing on Saturday of Malawian Edward Kanyemba in Diepsloot, a township north of Johannesburg. He was stabbed multiple times simply for being a foreigner.
What makes a criminal act xenophobic is the deliberate targeting of foreigners.
The targeting of foreigners is so sensitive and hurtful for us not only because they are our African brothers and sisters, but also because South Africa is indebted to our neighbouring countries for the steadfast support they gave our liberation movements during the anti-apartheid Struggle.
This generosity of spirit knew no bounds, and without it, our liberation would have taken far longer.
Our liberation fighters had a presence in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and other African countries even further afield. Many gave our liberation movements land, resources, training and even access to social services.
This was the brotherly love and solidarity which many of us remain deeply grateful for.
That is why it is so difficult to accept that there is a devastating trend that foreigners are being targeting in our society, and that these are hate crimes. But if we don’t acknowledge the demon of xenophobia when it exists, we will never be able to effectively address the problem.
What I was exposed to this week left me with no doubt that xenophobia is very much a reality in our country, but our challenge now is to address the root causes and raise awareness within the public and the police service so that we can stamp it out.
As it turns out, the Malawian who was stabbed in Diepsloot is someone I know. It was a xenophobic attack clear and simple - his attackers were aware of his foreign accent when he asked them for directions.
When they refused to provide the directions and he turned and walked away, they descended on him as he crossed the road - stabbing him four times in the base of his spine and three times in the upper arm.
It was an attack motivated by pure hatred or resentment merely because he was a foreigner. The attackers left him bleeding in the road and never even attempted to take his money, phone, or bag.
The story gets more heartbreaking. Not one of the onlookers who screamed in horror came to his rescue, nor did they rush to the police station nearby and summon help.
But at least an ambulance was called and it took him to Tembisa Hospital, where he was given medical assistance for only 48 hours, after which he was turfed out to make way for other victims of stabbings.
Late at night he was discharged in the rain - hardly able to walk, with no transport to get to Mamelodi, 50km away. In ordinary circumstances it would have taken three taxis to get to where he was staying, but at that time of the night it took an eternity in excruciating pain.
With only painkillers, the following day he proceeded to another hospital to get treatment for his wounds.
It was then I was made aware of his situation and joined him to try to ensure he received treatment.
The admitting nurses relayed a terrible reality - that often at month-end the hospital is filled with victims of stabbing attacks, many of them foreigners.
There was a general consensus among the medical staff that we spoke to that xenophobia is rampant on the ground, and that foreigners bear the brunt of local anger at the lack of jobs, opportunities and social services.
As my friend sat in a wheelchair in the casualty section of Mamelodi Hospital waiting to be attended to by a doctor, a woman in the wheelchair next to him said she had been sitting there since the previous day waiting for a doctor to see her.
Now that Kanyemba is recovering from his wounds, he says the daily xenophobia he experiences will continue. He, as many other foreigners will attest, is regularly accused of bringing disease and HIV/Aids to South Africa, of coming from a dictatorship and of stealing South African jobs.
It is time for us to face the truth we are afraid to confront - that xenophobia is rampant in our country.
But the question is: What are we going to do about it?
* Shannon Ebrahim is the group foreign editor at Independent Media