By Babatunde Ayedoju
Xenophobia is one word that has been on the lips of many Nigerians since April, when a wave of protests, spearheaded by groups such as March and March and Operation Dudula, hit the streets of South Africa, particularly in cities such as Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban.
The protesting groups issued an ultimatum, demanding that African migrants vacate the country by June 30.
The violent protests targeted foreign nationals, especially those from countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana and Nigeria. Ethiopians and Somalis have also fallen victim to similar attacks in the past.
In this latest wave of violence, at least two Nigerians lost their lives to the bloodthirsty attackers. According to a statement by Nigeria’s Consul-General, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, one of the victims, Amaramiro Emmanuel, was killed after allegedly being beaten by officers of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on April 20. The second victim, Ekpenyong Andrew, was arrested in Pretoria and was later found dead in a mortuary.
The prevailing sentiment among some South Africans, which has fuelled their inhumane treatment of fellow Africans living in their country, is that there is a high number of undocumented migrants in the country and that these migrants contribute to unemployment while placing pressure on public services.
Indeed, South Africa has a large population of immigrants from across the African continent, who enter the country both legally and illegally. Statistics South Africa put the number of foreign nationals at 2.4 million in 2022, representing about 3.7 per cent of the country’s total population of 65 million.
A recurring decimal
It must be noted that the xenophobic attacks, which began around April this year, were not the first. Similar attacks took place in 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, with significant casualties recorded on each occasion.
In 2008, mobs attacked African immigrants from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in Alexandra, Johannesburg, before the violence spread to other parts of the country. More than 62 people lost their lives, including 21 South Africans, 11 Mozambicans, five Zimbabweans and three Somalis, according to Human Rights Watch.
In 2015, seven people, including South Africans, were killed after Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini reportedly stated that foreigners “should pack their bags and go” because they were taking jobs from South Africans. He later claimed that he had been misquoted.
In 2019, attacks against foreign nationals in Johannesburg claimed the lives of 12 people.
South African government reaction
The South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, responded by announcing new measures to tackle irregular migration. He said that employers who hire undocumented workers, who often work for lower wages, would now be liable to imprisonment rather than merely being fined.
He added that dedicated courts would be established to help speed up the deportation of those in the country illegally. He also announced that a new register containing the biometric data of everyone in the country would be created to combat identity theft.
Ramaphosa warned South Africans against taking the law into their own hands, saying that the responsibility for enforcing immigration laws rests with the state, and the state alone. However, this clearly did not mitigate the xenophobic attacks in any tangible way.
The Nigerian government did not hesitate to register its displeasure over the unfortunate incident in South Africa. Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, accused the South African government of failing to forcefully denounce the violence against Nigerians in the country, saying that this had damaged the bond the two countries had built over the years.
Nigerian government disagrees
Contrary to the claims by some South Africans that they were protesting against illegal migrants, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Nigerians were being harassed in South Africa despite having legal status.
She affirmed that legitimate businesses were being looted, children were being forced to stay away from school, while the police refused to do anything about the situation.
The Nigerian government went ahead to repatriate Nigerians caught up in the violence in South Africa. Between 11 June and 15 July, the Federal Government facilitated the repatriation of 1,490 Nigerians from South Africa in seven batches.
Other affected countries, such as Ghana and Mozambique, took the same step.
The National Assembly was not left out. The House of Representatives mandated its Committees on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs to investigate the losses, damage and casualties suffered by Nigerians during previous and recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
This followed a motion by a member of the House, Babajimi Benson, who argued that despite decades of diplomatic protests and condemnations, Nigeria had never undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the casualties and economic damage suffered by Nigerians in South Africa.
The Senate adopted four resolutions directing the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, to obtain written assurances from the South African government regarding the safety of Nigerians and to demand the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the attacks.
The Senate also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Nigerian High Commission to compile a comprehensive record of Nigerians who suffered death, injury, displacement, unlawful detention or loss of property, with a view to pursuing legal redress and compensation.
Meanwhile, the Senate also opted for a more cautious approach after one of its members, Yahaya Abdullahi, warned that the attacks could be part of a wider political agenda aimed at destabilising the South African government.
Once upon a time, the story was different
One factor that baffles many people about the fate of Nigerians who have been mercilessly attacked by their South African hosts, and the weak response of the South African government, is that Nigeria has been very helpful to South Africa in the past, especially during the apartheid era.
From 1960 to 1976, and from 1976 to 2026, Nigeria made Africa the cornerstone and the centrepiece of its foreign policy respectively. That meant Nigeria prioritised protecting the interests of its fellow African countries. It was in May 2026, at the inauguration of Nigeria’s ambassadors-designate, that Africa ceased to be the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy, with Nigeria and Nigerians becoming the new thrust and centrepiece of the country’s foreign policy.
Consequently, Nigeria took a stand alongside black South Africans against the white supremacists during the apartheid era. In a show of solidarity with black South Africans, Nigeria broke off economic, diplomatic and cultural relations with South Africa from 1960 to 1994.
In fact, it is on record that in 1960, Nigeria set up the National Committee Against Apartheid (NACAP), followed by the Southern Africa Relief Fund in 1976 under the military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo. Nigeria also incurred at least $60 billion cumulatively in implementing its doctrine of solidarity with black South Africans.
Between 1976 and1979, Nigeria nationalised British Petroleum, which was renamed African Petroleum. Barclays Bank was renamed Union Bank, while Standard Bank became First Bank of Nigeria. The Nigerian government at the time took these steps in retaliation for Britain’s support of the apartheid government in South Africa.
What suddenly went wrong?
Speaking on why Nigerians could come to the point of falling victim to such inhumane treatment, considering the support Nigeria had rendered to South Africa during the apartheid era, a historian, Prof. Simon Ehiabhi, cited the economic challenges faced by the present generation of South African youths.
Ehiabhi stated that many South African youths are unemployed, just like Nigerian youths, and are jealous of foreigners who thrive in business and even in menial jobs. According to him, many South Africans believe that the only way to overcome unemployment is to chase the foreigners away.
The professor of African political history noted that a similar incident occurred in the early 1980s when Nigerians staged the “Ghana Must Go” movement in response to unemployment, which many Nigerians at the time blamed on Ghanaians.
“The difference is that in Nigeria, it was orchestrated by the government, whereas the one in South Africa is perpetrated by the citizens,” he added.
Ehiabhi pointed out that while the xenophobic incidents may affect the relationship between Nigerians and South Africans at the informal level, they will not affect the relationship between the two countries at the governmental level.
According to him, that is because the Nigerian government does not see the xenophobic attacks as detrimental to its interests in South Africa, saying, “For now, they see it as a mere misunderstanding and an issue they can get over with time.”
Another historian, Prof. Adedayo Afe, blamed the lack of proper teaching and learning of history in South Africa for the xenophobic incidents. He said that most of the people carrying out this violence in South Africa were not yet born when Nigeria helped their country. Therefore, they do not appreciate what Nigeria has done for them.
While pointing out that, in the past, Nigeria helped several Southern African countries, not just South Africa, Afe said that the South African government has not done enough to keep its citizens in check and address the avoidable crisis in the country.
He said, “There was a time Nigerian civil servants contributed money to fight apartheid. Scholarships were even given to South Africans then. This is something that past leaders of the country acknowledged. There may be some Nigerians who are not conducting themselves well in their country, but that does not justify this kind of treatment.”
We must put our house in order
While citing envy as another reason why South Africans are assaulting other Africans in their country, the professor of legal history stated that putting our own house in order would guard Nigerians against this kind of treatment in other countries.
A political scientist, Dr Kunle Akinola, noted that the xenophobia in South Africa is better described as Afrophobia because the victims are mostly from countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and others.
He stated that migrants from those countries are looking for opportunities they believe do not exist in their home countries.
He emphasised that whatever help Nigeria rendered to South Africa during the apartheid era happened a long time ago, and many of the perpetrators of the present violence have little or no knowledge of it. He, therefore, noted that the best way to solve the problem is for Nigerians to be able to find at home whatever opportunities they are seeking abroad.
He also pointed out that the present generation of South Africans erroneously believes that foreigners are responsible for their economic problems.
Another political scientist, Mr Sola Isijola, stated that South Africans are unable to trace and appreciate African history, relationships and unity. He said that if African history had been properly taught, they would have known that Africa is one, even though languages and cultures differ.
Isijola, who lamented that South Africans have jettisoned the labour of our heroes past, added that it is a reflection of leadership failure in South Africa, especially among the present crop of leaders and those who came before them, considering the assistance Nigeria rendered in the past.
The political scientist, while describing the attacks as barbaric, added that the South African government ought to have nipped the matter in the bud through firmer action. This, according to him, shows that the South African authorities are condoning what is happening.
Isijola noted that, in the past, there were South African students across Nigerian higher institutions, adding that it is against international law for South Africans to harass Nigerians and other African nationals living in their country. He also stated that the United Nations should have intervened by sending a strong message to the South African government.
He said, “Though there have been evacuations, most of them could not bring anything back home. That’s criminality, official lawlessness and a debasement of humanity. In future, people will still make reference to it.”