Saso

  Misunderstanding Between Somalis and South Africans Over the Use of the Coat of Arms and the Chairperson Election. Written by: Mohamed Kosow Salat In Johannesburg two days ago there was an election in the Somali community to elect a new community chairperson. Many South Africans misunderstood the event and thought that the Somali community was crowning a king in South Africa.  Some believed that this was against the South African Constitution as foreign nationals may not establish traditional leadership structures in the country. The controversy was heightened when the event’s organizers used the South African flag and the national Coat of Arms on posters and event material. This sparked a huge debate on social media platforms, especially TikTok where many people criticized the event and asked why South African national symbols were being used. Tensions boiled over as anti-migrant groups, particularly those targeting African migrants, gathered outside the Somali embassy in P...