Xenophobia: South Africa Assures Nigerians, Foreign Nationals of Safety

Takes measures to stem attacks

The South African Government has assured Nigeria that it is taking measures to ensure the safety of Nigerians and other foreigners, who are currently reeling under a spate of xenophobic attacks in the rainbow nation.

In a statement issued yesterday, the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Lulu Mnguni, said that the situation is being contained and would soon be brought under control.

According to Mnguni, President Jacob Zuma has deployed the ministers of Home Affairs, Police and State Security to work with the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Provincial Government to stop the violence that first broke out in some residential areas in Durban.

"The KZN Provincial Government has established an Inter-Departmental Task Team to coordinate the response,” he said.

The statement further disclosed that the country’s Minister of Home Affairs met with African Heads of Missions last week while the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation further consolidated on the discussions her summits with the African Heads of Missions on April 17.

"Members of Parliament are also working with Government, in their constituencies, to improve relations and promote

peaceful co-existence between our people and fellow Africans affected by the situation," the statement added.

In addition, Mnguni said that the South African government is working closely with the UNHCR, UNICEF as well as non-governmental organisations, religious leaders and other stakeholders to providing humanitarian assistance, food, psycho-social and other support to the displaced people.

He revealed that shelters have been set-up to accommodate displaced foreign nationals while basic amenities such as water, sanitation, and healthcare are being provided.

He said that the government is “determined to take resolute action against South Africans who attack foreign nationals, and is equally determined to take action against all foreign nationals who commit crime in the country.”

The statement appealed to both Nigerians and South African “not to allow their hard won and time tested friendship to be lost as a result of these heinous criminal acts”, urging them to stand together to defend their mutual interests and that of the continent. “We are one people and together victory is certain,” he said.

"The South African High Commission in the Federal Republic of Nigeria reiterates the assurances given by the President, Cabinet and the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa and wishes to place it on record that; South Africa stands unwaveringly against all intolerance such as racism, xenophobia and sexism.” He insisted that "no amount of frustration and anger can justify the attacks on fellow African brothers and sisters and the looting of their shops. Therefore, we condemn the violence in the strongest possible terms."

These attacks, he noted, violate all the values that South Africa embodies, especially the respect for human life, human rights, human dignity and Ubuntu.

Mnguni reiterated the view that "South Africans are generally not xenophobic; if they were we would not have such a high number of foreign nationals who have been successfully integrated into communities all over our country, in towns, cities and villages."

It is on record, he said, that these hideous acts are not happening throughout the country, but only in a few parts of two provinces, out of the nine provinces comprising South Africa. The affected provinces are KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Mnguni once again assured that "the police were assigned to quell the violence and to bring the situation under control and directed to work round the clock to protect both fellow Africans and citizens and to arrest looters and those committing acts of violence.

"Additional law enforcement officers have been mobilised from around the country and deployed to the affected areas to enforce the law and prevent further attacks."

Also, the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, has expressed his full support for the steps taken so far by the Federal Government in its efforts to protect the country’s citizens from the wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, Buhari said that Nigeria’s Head of Mission in Pretoria had taken the right steps by advising the Nigerian community in South Africa to close their shops, stay home and keep out of trouble, while ensuring that they obey the laws of their host country.

“I am happy to see that the Nigerian government is very well aware of its responsibilities to its citizens in South Africa,” General Buhari said.

Buhari also commended the Nigerian government for its decision to monitor the situation in South Africa and evacuate its citizens at any sign of escalation.

The President-elect further expressed sadness at the unfolding events in South Africa, recalling Nigeria’s and South Africa's friendly relation since the end of apartheid.

Meanwhile, an association of Nigerians resident in South Africa have firmed up plans to resettle 50 of their compatriots affected by the spate of xenophobic attacks in the country. The group, known as the Nigerian Union in South Africa, made its intention known through its president, Ikechukwu Anyene, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview yesterday.

According to Anyene, Nigerians were displaced at Jeppes Town, near Johannesburg.

“We met about 300 Nigerians in Jeppes town, near Johannesburg, who fled for their safety and about 50 of them do not have any place to stay.

“We are making arrangements with the Nigerian mission in South Africa to get them a place to stay for their safety.

“The Nigerian union has also presented relief materials to those affected by the attacks and we are in touch with various branch chapters of the union in the provinces on their safety and security,’’ he said.

He further disclosed that two shops belonging to Nigerians in Durban were looted, putting the worth of the goods lost during the incident at 400,000 rand. He also said that five shops were looted while one was burnt in Jeppes Town totalling to an estimated loss of a million rand.

“The incidents have been reported to the police and we are still taking stock of attacks on Nigerians,’’ he said.

The Nigerian foreign minister had however claimed on Thursday that Nigerians had so far not been attacked, saying it would only evacuate Nigerians only if the situation gets worse.

Xenophobia in South Africa dates back to 1994 and are mainly targeted at citizens of other African Countries.

In May 2008 a series of xenophobic attack left 62 people dead.

In the current attack, at least five people have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in one of South Africa’s worst outbreaks of xenophobic violence in years.