Amazing, isn't it, how a few inspirational folk always seem to find a silver lining in the darkest cloud.

Amazing, isn't it, how a few inspirational folk always seem to find a silver lining in the darkest cloud.

Joseph Njala, a young Zimbabwean victim of the recent spate of xenophobic terror, sees a united Rainbow Nation around him because of the outpouring of support by ordinary South Africans for displaced migrants.

His boundless faith and optimism should inspire even the most cynical among us. Though subjected to misfortune and horrors few of us can even contemplate, he goes about his mission of helping others with quiet zeal.

Other perpetrators and victims of the violence seem to revel in their misfortune.

A few misguided residents still insist they will resist any move to reintegrate migrants into their communities.

And some victims appear to be trading on their travails to insist they be sent to perceived plum foreign lands such as Canada and Australia where they can rebuild their shattered lives in luxury.

Both groups' positions smack of naked opportunism.

No one should be allowed to wallow in our shame.

Folk like Njala believe they can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps to create a secure life for themselves in South Africa.

All of us, locals and migrants alike, should learn from them how to realise the potential of this blessed land.