Xenophobia: Nigerians to return home as S’African attacks worsen

With unrest growing in South Africa, the Nigerian Consulate, working together with the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, is offering a free flight home for Nigerians who wish to return permanently.

The President of NICASA, Frank Onyekwelu, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH, acknowledged that the situation had forced many Nigerians to shut their shops and businesses.

According to him, there is currently no structured support system in place for affected Nigerians, but the consulate’s intervention is already providing an option for those who wish to leave.

Onyekwelu said many Nigerians were already indicating interest in returning home.

He said, “The Nigerian Consulate in conjunction with NICASA has offered a free repatriation flight to any Nigerian who wishes to leave South Africa permanently, and the process is ongoing as we have recorded many Nigerians signalling interest to return home.”

Meanwhile, Nigerians in South Africa have narrated their harrowing experiences.

They lamented that the recurring violence had continued to threaten their safety, livelihoods, and mental well-being.

People who spoke to the newsmen said they had been forced to remain indoors and were now living in constant fear due to targeted attacks on foreign nationals.

Violent anti-foreigner protests erupted in cities such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, East London, and parts of KwaZulu-Natal, resulting in harassment, looting, property damage, and injuries.

This has triggered fear and panic within the diaspora community, with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission directing Nigerian business owners to temporarily shut down to minimise risks and avoid losses.

The protests, according to reports, are being driven by community groups, anti-immigration organisations, and social movements such as Operation Dudula, the March and March Movement, and similar local initiatives, often under the banner of tackling illegal immigration and unemployment.

The demonstrations are organised by groups accusing migrants of causing economic hardship and crime, with activists demanding the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals, particularly those from African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Somalia.

Two Nigerians were killed in separate attacks linked to the anti-foreigner protests.

The Nigerian Consulate General in Johannesburg confirmed that the two victims, Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew, were killed in separate incidents linked to the attacks.

The Consul-General, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, disclosed in a statement on Monday that Emmanuel died from injuries allegedly sustained after being beaten by personnel of the South African National Defence Force on April 20.

She said Andrew was taken into custody on April 19 in the Booysens area of Pretoria after an alleged clash with members of the Tshwane Metro Police, and his body was later found at the Pretoria Central Mortuary.

Hundreds of anti-foreigner protesters have been captured in viral videos marching through streets with sticks and chanting anti-foreigner songs.

In one such video, a Nigerian trader was confronted during a protest and ordered to leave the country with his family.

“How come you are here in South Africa to continue selling goods?” one of the men asked.

Despite explaining his long stay and livelihood, the trader’s plea was dismissed.

“I didn’t come to South Africa today. I have been here for a long time. The only thing is what I’m doing to feed my children,” he said.

The group, however, insisted that foreigners were no longer welcome.

“From now on, we don’t want foreigners in this town. We are fixing our South Africa now,” one voice declared.

“Take your wife and go back to your country. Take your children and go and raise them at home,” another voice added.

In a recent incident, an Ethiopian national was fatally shot in what seems to have been a targeted attack in downtown Johannesburg, intensifying worries about the safety of foreign nationals.

CCTV footage making the rounds online shows the victim being approached and shot at point-blank range in the middle of a busy intersection, with no apparent provocation or attempt at robbery.

Authorities confirmed that no arrests had been made, while investigations were ongoing.

Amid the violence, the South African Police Service condemned acts of intimidation against foreigners.