Xenophobes at work
Hatred of foreigners in South Africa is a perennial feature of that society subjecting Nigerians there to an increasingly dire fate. Fresh indications are that the sentiment runs deeper than
- Government needs a tougher stance to protect Nigerians in South Africa
Hatred of foreigners in South Africa is a perennial feature of that society subjecting Nigerians there to an increasingly dire fate. Fresh indications are that the sentiment runs deeper than among off-hinge mobs running amok against immigrants. It harbours even in institutions of the society, like security agencies that ideally should protect persecuted immigrants from erratic mobs.
Early last week, the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg reported that two Nigerians, named Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew, were killed in separate incidents linked to escalating anti-foreigner tension in South Africa. Consul-General Ninikanwa Okey-Uche said in a statement that Emmanuel died from injuries allegedly sustained after being beaten by personnel of the South African National Defence Force on April 20th. Andrew, for his part, was arrested on April 19th in the Booysens area of Pretoria following alleged altercation with members of the Tshwane Metro Police, with his body later found at Pretoria Central Mortuary.
The consul-general deplored the killings, saying they raised questions about the safety of Nigerians and other immigrants in South Africa. According to her, the separate cases involving security officials have left the victims’ families, the Nigerian community and diplomatic missions in that country in shock.
Okey-Uche further said a formal case had been filed with the South African Police Service, urging that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate should ensure a thorough, transparent and impartial probe. “We call on South African authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice,” she said, adding: “No matter the allegations, there are lawful processes. Everyone should be presumed innocent and granted a fair hearing in a court of law. No one should take the law into their own hands.” The consul-general warned against the dangerous trend of profiling and generalising Nigerians as criminals.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) as well urged South African authorities to prosecute perpetrators of recent xenophobic attacks in the country. It’s chairperson, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed concern over the deteriorating situation despite bilateral engagements. Speaking through a statement, Wednesday, she noted that pupils of Nigerian descent were now scared to attend school, with business owners afraid to open their shops for fear of targeted attacks, looting, and harassment. According to her, community leaders documented fresh incidents of violence and intimidation in the past 72 hours.
Dabiri-Erewa said: “We state clearly that NIDCOM rejects the profiling and generalisation of Nigerians. Crime has no nationality. Any individual, regardless of origin, who commits an offence should be investigated and made to face the full penalty of South African law.” She added: “However, collective punishment and blanket labeling of an entire nationality are unacceptable and dangerous.”
While imploring Nigerians in South Africa to remain law-abiding and avoid high-risk areas after dark, NiDCOM demanded upscaled police presence and patrols in flashpoint communities where they reside and trade, prompt arrest and prosecution of persons involved in xenophobic attacks, arson and extortion, and a joint Nigeria-South Africa community safety forum involving the police, city officials and diaspora leaders. Importantly, the agency urged clear public messaging by South African authorities condemning xenophobia and warning against stereotyping.
The need for clear messaging was lost on the South African government as at early last week, going by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks on the occasion of the country’s Freedom Day, which marked the historic democratic elections of 1994 that ushered in majority rule in the country and upended apartheid rule. The late freedom fighter, iconic Nelson Mandela, came from prison to power as pioneer black president, and set up the country to be a melting pot of races, especially Africans who supported black South Africans in their struggle against apartheid. Unfortunately, the country today has fallen far from Mandela’s vision.
Against the backdrop of renewed xenophobic violence by his countrymen, Ramaphosa, in his Freedom Day remarks, advised foreign nationals residing in South Africa to respect the country’s laws, customs and traditions. He said: “To those who are here legally, respect us as South Africans, respect our laws, respect our conventions and our traditions as you would want us to respect the laws and traditions of your country.”
The president stressed that while South Africa remained committed to global cooperation and human rights, it would not hesitate to enforce its immigration laws. He meanwhile urged its citizens to trust the law as pertaining to illegal immigrants, saying: “Let us allow our laws to take their course. We have already set in place the way in which we will be able to deal with those who are in our country illegally. We remain committed to multilateralism, to respect international law and principled diplomacy.”
It is sad, in our view, that President Ramaphosa did not pointedly condemn the strong anti-foreigner sentiment in his country and charge citizens against frequent recourse to street violence against immigrants, even on suspicion of offences that could be processed in South African courts. Sounds like tacitly enabling xenophobia.
Nigeria’s government seized the occasion of South Africa’s Freedom Day to remind the country of its history and allied expectations. A statement by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recalled that Nigeria’s relationship with South Africa is rooted in a shared history of struggle and solidarity.
“During the apartheid era, Nigeria stood firmly at the forefront of the international campaign against racial oppression, providing political, diplomatic and material support to the liberation movements of South Africa.” He added: “This historic bond of solidarity has since evolved into a robust bilateral partnership anchored on mutual respect, shared democratic values and a common vision for Africa’s development.”
Noting recent attacks on foreign nationals in the country, the statement further said: “As brotherly countries, Nigeria wishes to use the anniversary of Freedom Day to call on the government of South Africa to protect the lives and prosperity of foreigners from fellow African countries currently residing in their country.”
We think our government needs to go beyond issuing tepid statements to plying concrete diplomatic pressure on South Africa, if xenophobic assaults against Nigerians in that country would be reined in. Every lever of pressure, including economic ones, should be fair game to get those nationals to show regard for Nigerian lives and their pursuit of lawful businesses in their midst.
The ultimate panacea, however, is making Nigeria conducive for living and thereby dissuade manic pursuit by many for greener pastures. Recent statistics showed there are some 500,000 Nigerians – among them undocumented immigrants – living in South Africa. In contrast, there are extremely few South Africans living in Nigeria and these are mainly skilled workers, corporate employees or contractors in sectors like oil and gas, telecommunications or business services. Nigerian authorities must take up the challenge of developing our own country, so that compatriots will not be fleeing to other climes where they could eventually be ill-treated.
