Ken Okeke
Nigeria said it would repatriate its citizens who want to leave as reports of xenophobic attacks in South Africa continues.
The Federal Government announced a “voluntary repatriation” program for its citizens in South Africa, following a series of xenophobic incidents in the continent’s most industrialized nation.
Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said on Sunday that 130 people had already registered to return home.
“This figure is expected to rise,” she wrote on social media, adding that “Nigerian lives and businesses in SA must not continue to be put at risk.”
Two Nigerians were killed in incidents connected to South African security personnel last month, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
South Africa has seen an uptick in anti-immigrant rhetoric in recent months. There have been a series of protests led by groups claiming that irregular migration is hurting the country’s economy.
A number of violent attacks have also been reported, mostly targeting Black Africans from other countries.
But experts have warned that immigrants are merely being scapegoated for South Africa’s economic woes, and that the anti-migrant fervor is being driven by populist pundits online.
According to South Africa’s national statistics agency, there are some 3 million immigrants living in the country, roughly 5% of the population, with the majority coming from the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc.
South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told the press that he had spoken over the phone with Odumegwu-Ojukwu and “We reflected on the challenges posed by irregular migration and committed to working to address the root causes, find common and sustainable solutions to this shared concern.”
The Nigerian Foreign Ministry said that South Africa’s high commissioner in Abuja was set to hold talks with Nigerian representatives on Monday to discuss “documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses.”
South Africa is set to hold elections on November 4. Odumegwu-Ojukwu blamed anti-foreigner opposition parties for stoking “a repetitive wave” of xenophobic rhetoric “to garner votes.”
Last week, Firoz Cachalia, South Africa’s acting police minister, condemned the anti-migrant violence, saying: “Acts of xenophobia, violence, looting or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances