Xenophobic Attacks: Why South Africa Won’t Compensate Nigerians

Ololade Adeyanju/

The South African government has given reasons for declining the request by the federal government to compensate Nigerians whose businesses were destroyed in the recent xenophobic attacks in the country.

According to a report by City Press, the stand of the South African government was conveyed through the Special Envoy sent by President Muhammadu Buhari to the country following the outbreak of the attacks which appeared to target mostly Nigerian-owned businesses.

The envoy, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, was sent to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa with a mandate to share Nigeria’s “deep concern about the security of Nigerian lives and property in South Africa, and to ensure that the South African government is doing everything within its power in this regard”.

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, while also expressing the government’s position, had tweeted last week that “there has to be accountability and responsibility for compensating Nigerians who have suffered. We are going to absolutely push for that”.

But the South African government claimed that these businesses are not registered, not paying taxes and also don’t have insurance cover which would have borne the liability for the losses that they suffered.

According to the report, the South African government told the special envoy that it would also be demanding compensation for the losses suffered by businesses owned by its countrymen during the retaliatory attacks in Lagos and other parts of the country if Nigeria insisted on having her citizens compensated.

Quoting the spokesman for the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Clayson Monyela, the report said Buhari’s special envoy was also made to understand that reports of the attacks were mostly fake and exaggerated.

Monyela reportedly said: “The Nigerian special envoy leaves South Africa having understood the overreaction by their country over xenophobic violence and a challenge thrown back at them to do their part in addressing the international immigration challenge.

“We said to them, in South Africa we expected businesses to be registered and pay tax and that they should advise those affected to produce all the documents so we can help them claim from insurances as it is also expected of businesses to take liability insurance.

“There were those reprisal attacks on South African businesses, and we told them: ‘if you raise compensation, we will also raise it in your country.’

“The Nigerian special envoy was given the facts and told that they are mostly reacting to fake news.

“Ten out of the 12 people killed during the public violence are South Africans and two Zimbabweans. They were told not a single Nigerian was killed yet your country is the most vocal.

“A challenge was thrown back at them to play their part in addressing the big challenge of international migration. The problem is that sending countries do not help much in creating a conducive environment that will not force citizens to leave their countries in droves and only speak out when there is a problem in the receiving country.

“It is a problem not only South Africa but in the UK, US and other countries which are overburdened with the responsibility of hosting foreign nationals.”

Monyela, according to the report, further disclosed that engagements with the envoy also ensured that diplomatic ties between South Africa and Nigeria remains intact.

“Diplomatic ties remain strong. This is why Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is still coming to South Africa on a state visit from October 3.

“Nigeria and South Africa are the biggest economies on the continent and any squabble between the two does not help Africa,” he said.

The South African government announced today that a team of special envoys departed the country yesterday to deliver messages of solidarity to heads of states and governments across Africa.

“The team, comprising of Mr Jeff Radebe, Ambassador Kingsley Mmabolo and Dr Khulu Mbatha will visit Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. The Special Envoys are tasked with reassuring fellow African countries that South Africa is committed to the ideals of pan-African unity and solidarity. The Special Envoys will also reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to the rule of law,” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, said in a statement.

0