Fresh details have emerged from a high-level diplomatic meeting between Nigerian and South African officials following renewed attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals living in South Africa.
The Federal Government on Monday strongly condemned the recurring violence, describing the attacks as unacceptable and calling on the South African authorities to take immediate and decisive action to protect lives and property.
Politics Nigeria earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu declined to personally receive a special envoy sent by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Instead, the President directed the delegation to meet with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, who was tasked with receiving the visitors and briefing him on the outcome of the discussions.
The South African delegation was led by the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola.
Sources within the Presidency disclosed that the delegation arrived in Abuja on Friday carrying a message from President Ramaphosa. However, no meeting with President Tinubu was scheduled.
According to one Presidency official, the South African representatives arrived without prior arrangements for a presidential audience.
“They actually came here on Friday wanting to see the President. But there was no prior notice.
“We said we couldn’t just allow them to see the President without first asking if he was available. When Monday came, the President directed that they should meet the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Enikanolaiye, who would brief him afterwards.”
Another source confirmed that Tinubu had no plans to meet the delegation, while another Presidency official revealed that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who is currently attending engagements in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, advised that it was not the right time for a presidential meeting while attacks on Nigerians and their businesses were still being reported.
Speaking during the meeting in Abuja, Ambassador Enikanolaiye said President Tinubu specifically directed the engagement to explore practical solutions to the growing concerns surrounding attacks on Africans in South Africa.
“It is with profound pleasure that I welcome our brothers from South Africa. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had actually asked us to meet with you and exchange views and perspectives on how to address and resolve the ongoing Afrophobic attacks in South Africa, of which Nigerians and other citizens of Africa have been victims,” he said.
The minister expressed disappointment that the attacks have continued despite decades of diplomatic cooperation between both countries.
He recalled Nigeria’s historic role in supporting South Africa’s struggle against apartheid and noted that both nations have remained strategic partners on the African continent through various regional and international platforms.
Enikanolaiye said records available to the Nigerian government showed that attacks against Africans in South Africa have occurred repeatedly over the years.
“We have seen a pattern emerge as early as 1995, 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026.
“From 2022 alone, 98 Nigerians have died in mob actions and hate-related attacks that we have described as Afrophobia because Africans, particularly Nigerians, are the predominant victims.”
The minister stressed that Nigeria does not support criminal activities and would not defend anyone involved in unlawful conduct.
However, he maintained that suspects should be prosecuted through lawful procedures rather than being subjected to mob violence.
“The Nigerian government will not support drug peddlers, but what we are saying is that anyone accused of an offence should be treated in accordance with your constitution, international human rights instruments and the minimum requirements of humanity,” he stated.
He further expressed concern that many Nigerians who legally reside and work in South Africa have also become victims of attacks.
According to him, there have been incidents where mobs targeted Nigerians while security personnel allegedly failed to intervene.
“But what we have found is that this xenophobic act has gone beyond the attack on criminals. We have records of Nigerians who have a legitimate purpose to remain in South Africa, yet they have been attacked.
“We could see some mob actions, where we saw the police watching, as if they are helpless to address this situation, which to us raises issues of state responsibility. It raises issues of complicity.”
The minister also reflected on the humanitarian impact of previous attacks, revealing that Nigeria had evacuated close to 1,500 citizens from South Africa in earlier crises.
“I shed tears in the plane when I saw children, women and the elderly returning home with almost nothing. Some had their properties looted and destroyed,” he said.
The latest diplomatic engagement follows renewed violence reported in April, which forced Nigerian authorities to begin arrangements for the evacuation of affected citizens.
More than 1,000 Nigerians reportedly registered for voluntary repatriation following the attacks.
Responding on behalf of the South African government, Lamola said President Ramaphosa remains opposed to xenophobia, racism and all forms of discrimination.
“We have been outspoken against any intolerance, including xenophobia, racism, homophobia, violence and discrimination directed at individuals within our borders,” he said.
The South African minister, however, insisted that his country would continue to enforce its immigration laws and combat criminal activities.
“President Ramaphosa has also been very firm on South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce immigration laws, including dealing decisively with irregular migration, undocumented immigrants and acts of criminality committed within our borders,” Lamola added.
He described migration as a challenge facing many African countries and called for stronger cooperation between governments to address the issue.