SOUTH AFRICA: Nigerians Protest Xenophobic Attacks In South Africa

The rising toll of deaths from the xenophobic attacks on black foreigners including Nigerians, in South Africa has provoked mass protests in several Nigerian cities, where the protesters have issued clear threats to South African firms and business concerns that unless the attacks are stopped, South
African investments in Nigeria will suffer similar fates as Nigerian businesses in South Africa.
Yesterday’s protests spread from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja to Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The growing protest and umbrage among Nigerians over the attacks, perhaps forced the federal government  monday, to summon the South African High Commissioner in Nigeria, Ambassador Lulu Mguni, to register its displeasure over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans.

The attacks have claimed the lives of six people and saw to the looting of stores and properties belonging to Nigerians and other foreigners.

THISDAY gathered that Mguni was summoned to a closed-door meeting with the Minister of State II for Foreign Affairs, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, at about 4pm monday.

The spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mr. Ogbole Amedu Ode, confirmed the development in a telephone conversation, but he did not provide more details on the meeting. He however said a press release would be issued over the development.

Meanwhile, Nigerians under the auspices of One Africa Initiative (OAI) have threatened to unleash its anger on South Africa’s investments in Nigeria.

Piqued by the killings, the group embarked on a peaceful protest yesterday to some offices owned by South African citizens in Abuja including MTN Nigeria, Shoprite stores, the South African High Commission, as well as the United States of America (USA) Embassy where they ended the protest.

In a statement jointly signed by the convener, Mr. Paul Edeh, Founder/ President Brekete Family, Ordinary Ahmad Isah, PMAN Ambassador and gospel artiste Phil Roberts, Jakins Yusuf, Dorathy Joseph and Favour Johnson, OAI threatened to carry out a retaliatory action against South African companies in Nigeria, if the attacks as well as looting and arson against its citizens persist.

Part of the statement read: “Perhaps some of those perpetuating this crime against humanity have forgotten the role Nigeria played towards their independence. They have forgotten so quickly that South Africans also live in Nigeria and also have huge investments.
"Ironically, no Nigerian has attacked MTN, DSTV, Shoprite and many more which are all South African-owned companies since they commenced business in Nigeria.”

The protesters warned the South African High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mguni, to mediate in the ugly development or risk being harassed and embarrassed by Nigerian citizens.

"We are one Africa and together we fought slavery and we conquered; we are one Africa and together we fought colonialism and we conquered; we are one Africa and together we fought  apartheid in South Africa and we conquered; we are one Africa and together we will fight xenophobic attacks on Africans and together we will conquer,” the group said.

Responding, Mguni commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct and assured them that the commission had listened to the group’s outcry and promised to convey the message to the South African government.

"Your pain is our own pain.  We have cordial relationship with Nigerians; yes of course a lot of problems are on the ground but we said beyond this, let us remain friends," he said.

In the same vein, a representative of the US Embassy who preferred anonymity assured Nigerians that the message by the protesters would be delivered to the US Ambassador, John Eintwistle.

Also, the managements of MTN and DSTV unanimously condemned the cowardly acts of violence against fellow Africans by South Africans and advocated equality and freedom for all Africans living in the Mandela country.

But despite the peaceable remarks by the South African firms, some youths, under the aegis of The Flagship, have threatened to shut down all South African firms operating in Nigeria.

The aggrieved youths made the threat yesterday during another protest at the office of telecommunications giant, MTN, on 3rd East Circular road, Muritala Muhammed Way, Benin City, capital of Edo State.

The protesters also had placards with several inscriptions, some of which read: "Xenophobia is ‎Inhuman," "Zuma Call Your Boys to Order" and "S/Africans Can't be Making Money From us and Killing us."

The group’s spokesperson, Austin Enabulele, described the attacks as inhuman and condemnable, adding that the protest was a warning to the South African government to put a stop to the attacks on Nigerians or risk losing its foreign investments.

"We are all Africans; we wonder why they should attack our fellow Nigerians who are doing their legitimate businesses in South Africa, when we have shown them love to operate in Nigeria.

"We have come here to say to (President Jacob) Zuma to call his people to order because if he fails to call them to order, we will do the needful. We are aware of all their businesses in Nigeria; we know of MTN; we know of Shoprite; we know of Multichoice company and we know of every other company that belongs to South Africa.

"We will shut down all their services, if they continue the killing of our brothers and sisters. So, we have come here to tell them to put an end to the killing of our brothers and sisters who are doing their legitimate jobs in South Africa," Enabulele said.

Also speaking, the Vice-President of the group, Gloria Noren, decried what she described as the ingratitude of South Africans, whom she said had received financial support from Nigeria during the apartheid era.

She also urged the federal government to commence the immediate evacuation of Nigerians from the crisis-ridden country, in order to forestall further havoc.

In a related development, Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner in Pretoria, Ambassador Martin Cobhams, alongside other African ambassadors, faith-based organisations and civil society groups monday met with Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini whose comments were said to have triggered the latest rounds of violence.

He provided details of the meeting in a telephone interview with THISDAY.
“The king addressed the crowd and diplomatic corps…he condemned the violence and called for peaceful co-existence among South Africans and other Africans. He also called for the re-integration of those who were displaced by the attacks, and asked the South African government to continue to make efforts to ensure that foreigners are protected," he said.

But despite his new disposition to foreigners, he failed to apologise or take blame for the incendiary comments he made which provoked the umbrage.

“He did not apologise, on account that royals do not apologise, I learnt,” Cobhams added.
The envoy however noted that calm has been restored to the troubled areas with normalcy gradually returning, adding that many stores remain closed but there are expectations that they would soon be opened.

Cobhams advised Nigerians doing business in South Africa to consider insurance policies to protect and provide safety nets in unforeseen circumstances such as this.

He disclosed that there are no talks of compensation yet, but expressed the personal opinion that such would likely feature in the Nigeria-South Africa Binational Commission which would come up in Abuja later this year.

But away from the protests, a civil society organisation, Alliance for Africa (AFA), has called on the Africa Union (AU) to investigate the role played by the South African government, agencies and traditional institutions in instigating the attacks on foreign nationals living in South Africa.

AFA said the host government did not do enough to protect African nationals who were attacked by South Africans.
In a statement, which was signed by AFA's Executive Director, Iheoma Obibi, the group called on the AU to also tackle the rising cases of xenophobia associated with unemployment within the African continent.

The statement read: "We are specifically calling on the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who hails from KwaZulu-Natal Province, where the attacks started to continue to denounce and use her good offices to bring perpetrators of the ongoing violence against foreign nationals in her South African homeland to justice."

It also called on African human rights institutions, commissions and courts to intervene by calling to question the South African government’s inability to safeguard the lives and properties of migrant Africa citizens within its borders and its inability to mitigate the repeating instances of jungle justice meted out to fellow black African citizens including women and children.

Also, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to “urgently take legal action against the South African government before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to seek effective remedies, including adequate compensation, for Nigerian victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa."

In a statement yesterday by SERAP’s Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said: “Several Nigerians have been attacked and have lost more than 21 million Rand (N21billion) in the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa. This is unacceptable as it clearly violates the obligations of South Africa under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. These serious human rights abuses call for strong and decisive action from our government.”
Both South Africa and Nigeria have ratified the African Charter.

"If President Goodluck Jonathan is to side with the victims and ensure that they receive adequate compensation he has to immediately instruct the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN to urgently file an inter-state communication before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” the organisation stated.
SERAP said there was no better time for Jonathan to do this as the African Commission would be meeting this week in Banjul, The Gambia, for its 56th Ordinary Session.

Articles 48 and 49 read together with Article 47 provide the legal basis for Nigeria to submit communication against South Africa for violations of the right to life and non-discrimination provisions of the Charter.

The organisation also said: “By taking the proposed legal action against South Africa, the Jonathan government will be giving Nigerians in South Africa the best parting-gift ever while also sending a powerful message to the authorities there that Nigeria will no longer accept the inadequate response by South Africa to blatant attacks against our citizens.”

The Nigerian government led by outgoing President Jonathan was expected to begin evacuating its nationals from South Africa today, as the death toll rises from the serial xenophobic attacks on foreigners in Durban, Johannesburg and other cities. Nigerians in South Africa have already lost more than N21 million, or over $105,000, since the violence broke out last month, according to local media reports.

The Nigerian Consul-General in South Africa, Uche Ajulu-Okeke, said Nigerian nationals living in South Africa have suffered a slew of property damages and losses including burned businesses, looted shops, scorched cars and stolen vehicles.

“Nigerians have compiled damage to their property and it is totalling about 1.2 million rand or N21 million, which will be sent to the federal government for further action,” Ajulu-Okeke told the News Agency of Nigeria in a telephone interview Sunday.  “I have also visited the site of the attacks in Johannesburg to assess the damage, and it was enormous.”

At least seven people have died in the anti-immigrant attacks in South Africa in the past week alone, Reuters reported.
The wave of attacks on Africans from other countries began at the end of March in the coastal city of Durban and has spread to other parts of the country, forcing thousands of migrants to leave their homes.

The attacks in South Africa have targeted African migrants whom locals accuse of stealing their jobs and businesses. It’s the deadliest spread of xenophobic violence South Africa has seen since 2008, when at least 67 people were killed.

“The xenophobic attacks in South Africa is a reflection of the crisis of governance in Africa as reflected by the worsening poverty and unemployment rate in the continent,” the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions said in a joint statement yesterday.