Xenophobic Attacks: Correspondent Confirms Protests, But No Nigerian Has Been Abused

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]Bokala.

[00:00:01]Yes, indeed. Let's dive straight into this next one and of course in the last 48 hours we've seen that the Senate is proposing a committee, a fact-finding committee to visit South Africa over concerns of rising xenophobic attacks targeting African nationals and some of them being Nigerians and of course this follows concerns over the killing of two Nigerians in South Africa in recent times in another wave of xenophobic attacks. We also saw you know the senator from Edo North during that particular session propose retaliatory measures against South Africa, specifically the withdrawal of the licenses of some of their companies operating here in Nigeria. Let's feel the pulse of South Africa now amid this very concerning issues and our correspondent Innocent Samusa joins us from South Africa this morning. Good morning, Innocent.

[00:01:07]A very good morning to you, colleagues in studio. It's good to be alongside you. Yeah, it's good to have you back a very soon but we had hoped that it would be in better circumstances.

[00:01:18]I was hoping that by this time there would be progress, more stability since we last spoke but it appears as if stories have come through about protests in some parts of South Africa where South Africans are demanding that you know other African nationals, maybe Nigerians now specifically, perhaps you provide clarity for us on that one should exit South Africa.

[00:01:44]Talk to us about these happenings and you know help us understand what exactly is happening and then perhaps we'll move from there.

[00:01:53]All right, so where we are at the moment, I must say colleague that there is progress, but people are impatient. People are running out of patience, and and understandably so because this matter needs different arms. You need the Department of International Relations. You need the mission here in Johannesburg, the Nigerian mission here, to deal with this matter on the ground. So, we had a media briefing the day before yesterday with the ambassador with the acting ambassador to South Africa Nigerian ambassador to South Africa, that is Alexander Timitope Adjei, who had mentioned, colleague, categorically that in the recent protest, there is no report of a Nigerian being abused. And also, there is no Nigerian shops that were looted in the recent report, apart from the one that happened in the Eastern Cape, where it was resolved with the Minister of International or the Minister of Cooperative governance in that province.

[00:02:56]But apart from that, there is no report of being you know, of Nigerians being abused. That's at least that's the report that we're getting from the ambassador. However, he mentioned, colleague, that there is the new media, the podcasters, and the people who post things online. They resuscitate old videos. There's old videos from 2007, from 2010, and they bring them back to now, and then they just make it seem as though it's new. So, he appealed with the media, the mainstream media, to fact-check before they put things online. I mean, on their on their platforms because it it it it quells the fire. I mean, it not quell the fire to say per se, but it it it it now put the situation in very precarious precarious position for lack of a better term. So, I think the challenge here that we're seeing is because the new media, the podcasters are putting things that are not right, you know. Perhaps it's time now to talk about how to regulate them because it's wrong that they're you know, perpetrating things that are not actually happening. But also, I think there's lack of synergy from the Nigerian community here in the country where there are different voices. I mean, the embassy is telling you that we are talking to the Department of International Relations. There is a commitment to deal with this issue. But other arms of the Nigerian community, they just don't want to listen to what the embassy is saying. And the embassy has been talking to the Department of International Relations, the minister here, they Ronald Lamola, who has also categorically condemned what is happening at the moment. But I can tell you also that the match to match, it's legitimate. It is a good call, but they do not have the right to then abuse people on the on on the road, to then ask people to present their their papers because if you're in the country, colleague, you need to be documented.

[00:04:58]You need for your safety and the safety of people around you. If anything happens to you, we know who you are, we know what you're doing in the country.

[00:05:05]So, that's a good call. But how they're going about it, it's wrong. They cannot you know, harass people on the road and ask them to show papers. It's only law enforcement officers who are allowed to do that. So, I think there's that commitment, but also there is a lit- a little bit of no coordination. There's there's the a need for that synergy from the Nigerian community in the country.

[00:05:30]And I'm talking about the different associations here, your NICASA, your NLSA, and and all of these arms to really come together and listen to what the mission is saying and listen to what the Department of International Relations is saying so that we can quell this fire, colleague. Innocent, are you saying that there hasn't It's not true that there has been another round of protest by South Africans demanding that foreign nationals exit the country?

[00:05:57]No, I'm not saying there hasn't been.

[00:05:59]There has been those protests. I mean, they've been going on in Johannesburg and Pretoria and in in in Durban. But, the report that we're getting here is that in the recent protest, no Nigerian shops has been looted. And no Nigerian shops has >> us understand why those protests are ongoing. Are the the nationals who have been found to be currently residing in South Africa, are they illegally residing in South Africa? What's responsible for this round of what some perceive as intolerance?

[00:06:35]Yeah, indeed. I mean, they they they they're demanding that illegal foreigners must leave South Africa because I mean, these people, colleague, you and I know. They can perform crimes. And if they perform crimes, nobody knows who did this crime because they're not answerable to anyone. They're not recorded anywhere. So, hence I'm saying earlier that it is a good call. The match to match. It's them trying to get attention from government to say that deal with illegal >> anyone can perpetrate crime. Even a South African national can perpetrate crime. Should shouldn't that now be dealt with holistically instead of tagging foreign nationals for being responsible or narrowing it down to nationals from Ghana or from Nigeria?

[00:07:24]I think the issue here is the fight for resources and it emanates from the lack of service delivery from the South African government and therefore citizens are really that misdirecting their anger to foreign nationals and they're not a problem here. The problem comes from the government. The government is failing to really uh give these people jobs. The economy has been stagnant. Um the the the health sector is is congested. You look at education.

[00:07:54]We don't have enough schools and and and the health sector and the correctional services as well. So, these are the issues that come at the back of the the these protests. That's why I'm saying that it is When you look at it, it is a good cause, but is misdirected to to to to foreign nationals. Right.

[00:08:13]As we wind down in a sense, so I I mean, there are key figures in this call it vigilante thing or anti-foreigner protest. I think a lot of people will have seen in Gizway um Tuniz video as a media personality in South Africa. Just in Gubeze, and I know that the minister of international relations, Minister Ronald uh Lamola had said that they're looking forward to police action against this vigilante thing and those who are hunting for illegal immigrants.

[00:08:46]And I keep asking myself, uh is enough being done uh to show that, "Hey, we're standing against this. This is not what we stand for." And more importantly, for those who are leading the charge for some of these things that may go violent, you see foreigners being accosted on the road, and you know, threatened. A lot of the videos we have seen. Uh is enough being done? And is it as though the government is being careful as well because it's being careful of its own approval ratings at home, but it's torn between also looking good to the international community. Is that why we're seeing this sort of hesitation and there's no uh stamp to say, "You know what? This must stop right now. Let the police do their work."

[00:09:29]Uh well, Khaya, I think the issue here is that the government is also treading carefully because it's election year. Um and they do not want to I mean it's not popular for you to be against what the masses are doing on the ground. So, I guess the the the issue is that it's election year, so government is also trying to, you know, see where they what they can do. Um, but but that also it it it makes it difficult because I mean you just mentioned in your intro that the Senate is proposing measures to cut the lights of your MTN, your DSTV. And this is these are, you know, big got I mean big private sector that has been contributing to both economies. And and and I mean you talk about jobs there, you talk about um, the business relations that might, you know, might crumble because of this.

[00:10:24]So, it it's it's a bit of a dichotomy if you ask me because um, the government has been I'm disappointed that our government that is a South African government because there's been a slow snail's pace to dealing with this issue. Um, um, hence I'm saying that I guess this is happening because it's election year.

[00:10:43]They're trying not to, you know, to to maybe to appease at the masses on the ground. So, it is it is disappointing from the South African government from that point of view where they're taking really time much time to deal with this issue and it could really get bad.

[00:10:59]And you know, the issues are more deep-seated Innocent, when you say that it's election year and you know, that that perhaps could be responsible for that.

[00:11:08]That itself should be interrogated, but it's a big conversation and it's a continuing one. We hope to have you back after which during which we hopefully would follow up on that. Innocent Semosa is our South Africa correspondent. Thank you so much for joining us on this one.

[00:11:24]Thank you, colleague.

[00:11:26]And so we'll take a moment now. When we return, what does the new Senate rule restricting eligibility for [music] the contest of the office of the Senate President and other principal offices to those who have served in the 10th Senate. What does it mean for [music] the 2027 elections and of course for the 11th Senate? Stay with us [music] to find out after this time out.

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