April 22, 2015
President Jacob Zuma,
Office of the Presidency,
Republic of South Africa,
Union Building,
Private Bag x1000
Pretoria, 0001,
South Africa.
Dear Sir,
THE HIGHLY CONDEMNABLE XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WAY FORWARD
We strongly condemn the ongoing xenophobic attacks being carried out by South Africans on Nigerians and other Africans residing in the country. The xenophobic attacks in South Africa directed at migrants and migrant workers, especially of African origin, which according to reports began about two weeks ago with locals attacking and looting properties owned by fellow Africans including Nigerians; can best be described as senseless, baseless, barbaric, inhuman and absolutely uncalled for. There is no justification whatsoever that would warrant such unprovoked attacks by South Africans against their fellow Africans.
Despite the fact that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Heads of State and Government, and several leaders across the world and the African continent, including the Federal Government of Nigeria had condemned these xenophobic murders and called on the Government of South Africa to live up to its responsibilities and take all necessary steps to stop the ongoing xenophobic attacks and put in place policies and structures to prevent a reoccurrence, it appears these senseless attacks have not seized, even with the South African President, Jacob Zuma, condemning the attacks and in addition, the city of Durban had also organized rallies against xenophobia. Yet, the lives of Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa are still not assured of safety.
As expected, the widespread anger in Nigeria over the xenophobic attacks in South Africa has also triggered protests across the West African nation, with many of the protesters targeting South African businesses especially in Nigeria. Hundreds of Nigerians recently staged protests in the capital city of Abuja, the commercial city of Lagos and the Southern city of Benin to register their disgust with the whole thing. They targeted the Mobile Telecommunications company MTN, MultiChoice, owners of the Digital Satellite Television DSTV and the supermarket chain Shoprite, among other South African companies operating in Nigeria. Some of the protesters carried placards with various inscriptions condemning the attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in South Africa, as well as attacks citizens of other African nations.
While we would not subscribe for any sort of retaliation against South Africans and their businesses in Nigeria, because violence cannot be used to address violence, however, we urge the South African Government and its people to get their acts together and stop all the hate against their fellow Africans living and doing business in their country. Otherwise, we ask that all South Africans and South African companies operating in Nigeria should be directed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to promptly leave Nigeria. It is a known fact that South African businesses operating in Nigeria like MTN and DSTV, are making huge profits from their businesses in Nigeria. In fact, these South African companies are making more money in Nigeria than any other African country where they might be operating in. So if they cannot allow Nigerians who lave legally migrated to South Africa to do legitimate businesses or study, then they too should be prepared not to remain in Nigeria but to relocate back to their country.
From the way things are going, we can reliably conclude that the recent protests recorded in Nigeria over the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa, was a warning to the South African Government and its people to put a stop to the attacks on Nigerians or risk losing its investments in the country. 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 nothing but love to live and operate in Nigeria.
We, and many Nigerians are particularly angry because of the role played by the country in helping to end Apartheid in South Africa (the official South African policy of racial separation and discrimination), which included funding the education of many South Africans. In fact, Nigeria was said to have spent over N60 billion (about US$300 million) fighting Apartheid for South Africans. Why should we extend love to them and they extend hatred to us. It is totally inhuman, distasteful and disgusting.
Though, no Nigerian has been killed in the fresh wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, as at the time of writing this piece, however Nigerian businesses have been attacked by the rampaging South Africans, who believe that foreigners, especially African immigrants, are taking jobs meant for locals.
According to the Nigerian Consul-General in South Africa, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, Nigerians in South Africa have lost more than N21 million (about US$100,000) to the attacks. Ajulu-Okeke said the loss included looted and burnt shops, two burnt mechanic workshops, 11 burnt cars and two stolen cars. She said two of the three Nigerians who were wounded during the attacks in Durban had been treated and discharged from the hospital. The Consul-General however said there are no immediate plans by the Nigerian government to evacuate its citizens from South Africa, even though some Nigerians have opted to voluntarily return home.
Let us bear in mind this is not the first time, neither it is going to be the last, that xenophobic attack incidents will be observed in South Africa. This unhealthy and condemnable situation keeps reoccurring. The latest wave of xenophobic attacks have killed at least seven people and forced hundreds to seek shelter in temporary camps.
For those who wish to know; following the 1994 non-racial historic election of Nelson Mandela who emerged as the first democratically elected South Africa’s President, his unprecedented reconciliation among races, after half a century long Apartheid; South Africa undoubtedly became the world capital for liberty in the 20th century! The deafening collapse of Apartheid, thanks to countries like Nigeria, and the repeal of separatist laws (the most repugnant being the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, Act No 49 of 1953 that profiled all public amenities, public buildings, and public transport with “EUROPEANS ONLY” and “Non-Europeans Only” signs) marked the end of history of oppression of black majority by the white minority in South Africa.
With such profound and defining history, one then begins to wonder what is the justification for the latest round of xenophobic attacks against African immigrants in South Africa, which was reportedly instigated by the Zulu King in the Kwazulu-Natal region in South Africa. The said Zulu King has sadly reopened an unwanted chapter in the history of oppression, albeit perpetrated by hitherto oppressed blacks of South Africa. Similar attacks in January this year claimed several lives as looters burned businesses owned by foreigners. In 2008, some seven years ago in Johannesburg, anti-immigrant violence claimed many innocent lives. Most of the victims were Zimbabweans who had fled repression and dire economic circumstances.
The world had rightly condemned these serial xenophobic attacks on innocent African workers as grossly unwarranted, condemnable and unacceptable. The South African President, Mr Jacob Zuma said: “These attacks go against everything we believe in. The majority of South Africans love peace and good relations with their brothers and sisters in the continent.” The critical question is: if majority of South Africans desire good relations, why would the minority predominate perpetrating mayhem against other Africans contrary to the objective of the Constitutive Act of the Africa Union (AU) launched in 2002 by the Heads of State and Government of the Member States?
The World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held in Durban, South Africa, in September 2001 with a Declaration and Program of Action that commits Member States to undertake a wide range of measures to combat racism and discrimination at the national levels. And according to a current affairs analyst: “President Zuma and other African leaders must implement the resolutions of the Durban conference instead of being ‘academic’ with criminal perpetrators of xenophobia.” What is needed is leadership and good governance to prevent and apprehend Xenophobia. Increasingly, South Africa is acquiring dubious distinctions for being in one breath the “rape capital of the world” and in another “a xenophobia capital of the continent”. At the root of xenophobia is the crisis of governance in Africa continent. With unemployment rate averaging 50 per cent, Africa is a huge time bomb about to explode. Indeed it is already exploding.
Recently, as many as 400 Africans, including Nigerians and Ghanaians perished in the Mediterranean Sea in an unprecedented wave of migration toward Europe! Three hundred years after the abolition of forced transatlantic slavery, it is a sad commentary that we are witnessing new slavery occasioned by lack of jobs and collapse of enterprises in African countries. Whence the jobs for a continent taunted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as Growth Zone (growth rate as high as 5 per cent)? Why would prevailing unemployment degenerate into black-on-black/poor-on-poor violence in major townships of South Africa while South Africa’s government watches helplessly? Africa’s founding fathers certainly had a vision of beneficiation and worked their vision through ‘aggressive industrialization’ and ‘internal articulation of their economies’ which in the 60s and 70s, made them ahead of countries like China, India, Indonesia,
Africa is a resource rich continent yet it has low levels of industrialization, with natural resources and materials being exported at a ‘cheap rate’ in its ‘raw forms’ while we import the ‘refined and finished products’ at a higher cost. Nigeria is very good example of a country in such unhealthy-economic situation. Some African leaders gullibly agonize about ‘resource curse’ when the founding fathers long foresaw ‘resource blessings’, promoted strong industrial policies that recognized manufacturing as a key engine of growth for national economies. The consequences include what are embarrassingly having at hand; xenophobic attacks for limited job opportunities. The distribution of manufacturing activity in SA, measured by the dollar value of Manufacturing Value Added (MVA), is highly skewed. Indeed with the exceptions of South Africa and Mauritius, MVA per head in the 15 most industrialized countries in Africa is very low which explains the influx of Immigrants. South Africa is the only country in which manufacturing plays a major role in both domestic output and export.
Nigeria, that once, in the 70s and early 80s; boasted of a robust manufacturing sector, which contributed as much as 25 per cent of GDP, has fallen down the manufacturing ladder to less than 5 per cent of GDP, relying on its extractive sector of oil and gas with very little value addition.
Nigeria, and indeed Africa, must learn from China, to industrialize and create jobs for its citizenry. This is the genesis of the xenophobic problem we are having today and the best way to address it from the root. Chinese are not dying by jumping into the sea to Europe, or being attacked in foreign lands because they are meaningfully engaged at home. Let us pray and hope that the new Nigerian Government under Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) will put all of this into consideration and take the necessary steps to industrialized Nigeria for more job opportunities, thereby making Nigerians to be more engaged at home and not be seeking for greener pastures abroad. The xenophobic attacks in South Africa are a reflection of the crisis of governance in Nigeria and indeed Africa, as reflected by the worsening poverty and unemployment rate in the country and in the continent respectively. Though, it can happen anywhere, we have to start getting our home in order to save us the headache of xenophobia.
Also on the way forward, in the immediate terms, South Africa and its Government must promote Civic Education among its citizens to let them know that many Africans sacrificed for the liberation and the freedoms South African’s enjoy today. South Africans need some tolerance of other Africans in need of economic survival, for no country is an island in itself and no country, no matter how advanced or powerful, can thrive in isolation of others. Let us as Africans, see ourselves as one irrespective of differences in nationalities, traditions and religions.
Zik Gbemre,JP.
National Coordinator
Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)
No.28, Opi Street, Ugboroke Layout, Effurun-Warri,
P.O. Box 2254, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria.
Tel: +2348026428271
+2348052106013
Website: www.ndpc-zik.org
