Nigerians
in South Africa have lamented that the recent attacks by locals have
put their lives at risk as they call for the Federal Government to
intervene.
Foreigner being attacked by South Africans (File photo)
Nigerians in South Africa have called on the Federal Government to
come to their aid as they now live in fear in South Africa following the
outbreak of xenophobic attack.
According to The Nation, when the South Africans carried out the
plot in the early hours of February 24, Nigerians, who had prepared
themselves for any eventuality, were spared the loss of lives, which had
been their lot in previous attacks.
As he watched the violent attacks on television, Femi, who pleaded
that his full name should not be used for security reasons, realised
that he and other Nigerians owe their lives to the benevolence of some
of their hosts. Femi, who has lived in the former apartheid colony for
five years now, said Nigerians now live in fear of attack every day.
Weeks after the latest waves of attacks on foreigners by South
Africans, Femi, who trades in accident cars, is yet to get over the
trauma of the ugly incident.
Recalling his experience, he said: “We had information from people close to the South Africans that they were going to attack us.
“They normally say they are going against illegal immigrants.
“The week before the last attack, they came to a mechanic
workshop owned by a Nigerian. The place is called Embassy, on
Christophel Street in Pretoria. They burnt 28 cars in that shop.
“On 24th of the month, they marched around from Attridgeville
down to Pretoria West. During the march, they were destroying and
looting shops. It was chaos.
“I stayed in Pretoria West, and I was indoor throughout. I
switched on the television to monitor what was happening. The experience
was horrible. You can imagine watching people moving round and
attacking your people. I don’t pray to go through such experience again.
“At a stage, the immigrants, Ethiopians, Somalians and
Nigerians, decided that they would fight back, because even though the
South Africans and their police know the drug peddlers and the
prostitutes, they still go ahead to attack foreigners who go about their
legitimate businesses. “
Femi says he no longer feels secure in South Africa. “I am just
trying to get myself together and go back to Nigeria or relocate to a
more peaceful country,” he said with a tinge of sadness.
The story was the same for Seye Oladeji. For him, living in Pretoria West in the last 10 years has been a tough decision.
Like other Nigerians, Oladeji survived the latest attack because some friendly South Africans told him of an impending attack.
He said: “I was indoor all through the period of the attack. I
have been in South Africa since 2007. I witnessed it in 2008. I know how
they are.
“Two houses close my residence and belonging to Nigerians were burnt. It was a really traumatic experience.”
However, despite the trauma and loss foreigners go through in South
Africa, he is not ready to quit. With his firm understanding of the
country and its people, Oladeji said he would always get by in the midst
of the violence.
“Some of us know how to go around when they are doing all these. I get by,” he said with a sense of assurance.
Ezechukwu Emmanuel lives in Durban, South Africa. For eight years,
he had learnt to relate with the people around him with suspicion.
Although the last orgy of violence was largely restricted to Pretoria
and its suburbs, Emmanuel said most Nigerians in the country feared for
their lives while the attack lasted.
“I don’t really know why these people are doing this to us. We
go about our businesses legally, but they are envious of our
achievements and they want to kill us,” Emmanuel said.
As the angry mobs attacked Nigerians and looted shops belonging to
Somalis, Pakistani and other migrants in townships around Pretoria and
parts of Johannesburg, the venom and anger on their faces were enough to
scare the daylight out of any human.
As they went round looting shops and other properties owned by
Nigerians and other foreigners, it was obvious that the intent was to
exterminate anybody that tried to stop them.
“They (foreigners) should know that this they are a guest in my
house. I am treating them with respect. They should treat me with
respect,” one angry protester told the BBC.
Nigerians in South Africa were “notorious” for dealing drugs, he
added, calling for greater checks on foreigners coming into the country.
The main South African group behind the Pretoria attacks, Mamelodi
Concerned Residents, blamed foreign nationals for taking jobs and
accused them of being involved in prostitution rings and drug cartels.
The petition delivered by the group to the home affairs ministry
alleged worshippers from Zimbabwean apostolic churches, who congregate
in the open, were “destroying our public parks”, and accused them of defecating, urinating and burning fires.
It also said foreigners were “arrogant and don’t know how to talk to people, especially Nigerians.”
But a Nigerian, who said he had earlier sent his family back home
to Nigeria, said the accusations were wrong. He claimed he suffers daily
attacks from South Africans, who he accused of envy.
“I think the main reason these people attack us is because they
are envious. Nigerians are hardworking people. If you look round the
country, we don’t mind any kind of job, and we carry ourselves with
pride. But they have termed that to mean that we are arrogant.
“For instance, if you go to a car wash business owned by a
Nigerian, you would see the difference with one owned by a South
African. Rather than change their attitude to work, they are trying to
make scape goats of foreigners, particularly Nigerians.”
The South African President, Jacob Zuma, said many foreign citizens
living in South Africa were law-abiding and huge contributors to the
economy.
“It is wrong to brandish all non-nationals as drug dealers or
human traffickers. Let us isolate those who commit such crimes and work
with government to have them arrested without stereotyping and causing
harm to innocent people,” Zuma said in a statement.
Speaking further, the president denied that South Africans were xenophobic and that the event “was anti-crime in the main. It was not an anti-foreigners march.”
At the height of the attacks, Nigerian groups in the country rose
with one voice. The leaders of the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU) in
South Africa said five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a
church, was looted and burnt by South Africans.
The coordinator of the group, Tunji Aladeselu, said: “One of
the buildings is a mechanic workshop with over 20 cars under repair.
Aside this, other vital documents were burnt during the attack. The
pastor of the church sustained injuries and is currently receiving
treatment in the hospital.”
Aladeselu called on the Nigerian government to help protect Nigerians from further attacks.
“We visited the Nigerian Embassy to meet with other members of
the Nigerian community and to fashion out ways of safe guarding
Nigerians.
“We also demand that the Federal Government of Nigeria relate
with its South African counterpart to increase security presence in
areas highly populated by Nigerians and their business concerns.”
In the same vein, the chairman of Nigerian Union in Kwazulu Natal,
Mr.Barthlomew Eziagulu, condemned the understanding of the South
Africans. He said the people are now more alert to attacks. “The people’s understanding is low. We are still on alert. While the attacks were on, we encouraged our citizens to be indoors.
“Even up till now, we are still on the alert.”
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