Living in South Africa, we are rather numbed by news of violence. However, the last few days have been very disturbing. I was in Johannesburg when the recent attacks against foreign traders broke out. News of the violence spread quickly and my various Uber drivers during the day (many of whom were foreign) got progressively more anxious and upset.
Of course, there were the usual false WhatsApp messages. One in particular was of a man burnt alive after petrol was thrown over him. The senders claimed it had happened on Monday in Johannesburg, but it turns out that it was an old video from another country in Africa. (What possesses people to send these things around?)…