THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has issued a fresh safety alert to Nigerians living in South Africa following renewed anti-foreigner protests that have turned violent in parts of the country.
This was as Ghana summoned South African senior official over attacks on its citizens.
In a statement on Friday, April 24, NiDCOM said demonstrations in East London, Cape Town, Durban and parts of KwaZulu-Natal had escalated into violence, with reports of looting, destruction of property and injuries.
The commission disclosed that intelligence from the Nigerian Consulate General in Johannesburg showed that more protests were being planned in Gauteng Province between April 27 and 29, as demonstrators continue to pressure the South African government over the presence of foreign nationals.
“In response, NiDCOM advises all Nigerian citizens to avoid confrontation with protesters, refrain from engaging with demonstration groups, and monitor local media for real-time safety updates.
“Nigerian nationals are also urged to remain law-abiding at all times,” the commission said.
It further advised Nigerian business owners to temporarily shut down their shops, especially on Freedom Day, April 27, and possibly on April 28 and 29, warning that foreign-owned businesses were often targeted during such unrest.
NiDCOM said that the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was engaging with South African authorities over the situation.
This latest warning came a few weeks after attacks on foreigners by some South African groups over the coronation of a traditional leader by Nigeria’s Igbo community in East London.
On Thursday, April 23, several viral videos reportedly showed groups of South Africans assaulting foreign nationals as they demanded that they leave the country.
In one of the videos, a group confronted a Ghanaian man, questioning why he had moved to South Africa.
“This thing of you guys moving from one country to the other, its no longer working,” a lady said on behalf of the group.
“We don’t want these African people anymore. We’re tired of seeing African migrants moving all over the world, refusing to fix your own countries. Now, we’re making it very clear to you guys: we don’t want you here. We want you to fix your countries,” she added.
A man in the same clip challenged the legality of the Ghanaian’s documents, accused him of fraud and warned other foreigners to leave before they were targeted.
Another video showed a man being assaulted after he was mistaken for a foreigner, while a separate clip captured a South African man complaining that foreigners were “sleeping comfortably” while locals struggled.
Ghana summons top South Africa official
The incidents prompted Ghana to summon South Africa’s acting High Commissioner to Accra, Thando Dalamba, over what it described as “acts of intimidation and harassment” against Ghanaians and other African migrants.
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the victim in the viral video was legally resident in South Africa and condemned the public harassment.
“Such conduct undermines the dignity and rights of law-abiding citizens,” the ministry said.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described the videos as ‘xenophobic’ and said he had spoken with South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamola, who promised a full investigation and expressed sympathy for the victims.
Rising tensions
Meanwhile, residents of Mthatha in Eastern Cape Province are expected to hold fresh protests over concerns about the presence of foreign nationals and limited job opportunities for locals.
The protests have been linked to anti-immigrant groups such as Operation Dudula, and March on March, which accuse migrants of causing worsening unemployment, crime and drug abuse in South Africa.
Earlier this week, March on March led demonstrations in Durban, where participants were seen in viral clips attacking a man they believed was an undocumented foreigner.
South African authorities have since condemned the attacks.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said no individual or group had the authority to take immigration enforcement into their own hands.
He also warned that attacks on migrants threatened South Africa’s constitutional order.
“The Ministry of Police wishes to advise the members of the public that acts of xenophobia, violence, looting, or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The #SAPS has been instructed to act decisively and without hesitation in addressing these incidents,” he said.
The ministry added that all those found participating in or inciting xenophobic violence would be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M