Dr. Chinedu Ekwealor is a former lecturer at University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and the candidate of Young Progressives Party for Anambra North senatorial seat.
In this interview, Dr Ekwealor said that Nigerians and other foreigners are not the cause of the problems of South Africans.
You have lived in South Africa for many years. What do you think is the cause of the xenophobia attacks?
South Africa’s xenophobia necessarily followed from decades of oppression of the economically marginalised and politically excluded majority of black natives of that land.
Successive White supremacists’ regimes in South Africa, by proxy, processed a third-degree oppression against the present day harbingers and crusaders of xenophobia. They were caged all their lives and were only released in 1994 through a democratic breakthrough, with conditions.
South Africa and her citizens have moved from oppression to expression. The state is captured and her oppressors are taking turns, individually, in benefiting from the national wealth. Put it into perspective, in 2017, South Africa’s population index stands at about 56 million people, out of which, over 2.6 million are foreign nationals while Africa counts for just above one million of the foreigners index.
Out of the 56 million South Africans, the black people account for about 80 per cent of the total population. The Coloured, The Indians, and The Whites make up the rest of the 20 per cent. We are talking about an independent country where the White minority that constitutes about eight percent of the overall population controls nearly 90 per cent of all means of production and mineral wealth of the nation.
South Africa as a state is captured and her citizens under arrest; from the Gupta brothers – a case President Jacob Zuma is answering in court, to the Oppenheimers, a big thorn on the flesh of President Cyril Ramaphosa. These people, including the Anglo- American miners who send black South Africans, Malawians, Mozambicans, into every pit that smells gold or diamond in South Africa while waiting on them at the top of mountain to collect whatever diamond or gold they may have extracted in exchange for peanuts in forms of South African Rand.
These anomalies are laced with very poor political leadership and horrible economic sight, which exacerbated the stranglehold the South African credit economy is having on the working class and stark lack of means, on those whose jobs are touring the street corners of the state, raping, shooting and stabbing people to death.
Do you think Nigerians alleged illegal businesses contribute to their anger?
Ekweslor: With specific reference to Nigerians in South Africa. We are not in anyway responsible for the woes of South Africans. Poor governance, corruption, incompetency and everything in the family of lack of creativity are directly responsible and are the true drivers of their problem.
Like Nigeria is arguably the largest oil nation in Africa but has no oil, Britain and her allies till tomorrow own Nigeria’s oil, the same way United States and allies own everything that naturally flows from South African soil. Since, Tata Madiba, South Africa has been on a downward spiral, because the black people who went to receive power from the colonial warmongers were handed condition that must keep the White man in charge. This is the problem with South Africa as we speak, not Nigeria!
I have served in South African Universities’ department of knowledge production, both as a lecturer and an Academic Development Officer for more than half a decade. South Africa is one country I will remember in gratitude for life, but she is arguably the most morally-poor nation on Earth. Since democracy in 1994, the most predominant cases across South African courts are rape and murder, subjects of moral malady. Nigerians neither rape nor kill; a few South Africans, and a very significant few at that who engineer these attacks, accuse Nigerians of drug peddling. This is an errant nonsense! While I may admit that there may be an insignificant number of Nigerians who may be found in the illegal economy of drug, the issue of drug is not the problem in Africa.
Actually, studies available on drug statistics globally reveal that South American and the Caribbean countries, continental European nations including United States of America are nations known for real drug businesses and Nigerians live there. Now, ask yourself, why are Nigerians living there not being killed or stoned to death as is always the case in the Pilate-oriented South African leadership? The old tired cliche of drug peddling is just a decoy to kill the dog.
I believe in the economics principle of demand and supply, which says that, if there is no demand, there will be no supply. How many South Africans have been burnt alive on the altar of drug consumption? Majority of Nigerians in South Africa are highly qualified and well-sought for professionals – Medical Doctors, Academic Doctors, and Nigerians in businesses own the conglomerate of hair stores; Malawians are known tailors, Ethiopians and Eritrians are clothing store traders, Ghanaians are the mechanics, Pakistanis and Chinese own phone shops, Zimbabweans are known students and refugees, Zambians are Pastors, and others. It is not as though one cannot find another state in any other professions but these are what we are known for and characterised by, in South Africa. Nigerians have no hands in the challenges of South Africans; the problems of poor leadership and corruption are squeezing them.
How does an average South African view Nigerians? What are their impressions about us?
We are viewed as a very loving, hardworking, loud, strong, tough, and physically gifted people. An average South African believes that if there is an order that all African nations and citizens will find their way to the Moon by the end of today, an everage South African will bet with his or her life, that, even though Nigeria does not have the facilities to travel to the moon, Nigerians will be seated in the moon waiting for other Africans to arrive. They believe we are capable of anything whether good or bad.
If you were the Federal Government, what will you do about this problem?
It is simple, look at the number of people who died since the major xenophobic attacks of 2008, check how it has progressed under every President, and ask yourself what machinery is in place to ensure that xenophobia is put to a permanent halt.
Now, check the political climate of South Africa where the Economic Freedom Fighters -EFF, are setting the agenda for governance for the leading African National Congress –ANC. Politics 101, will tell you that because of the variegated political and pecuniary interests, the attacks must continue.
The Federal Government of Nigeria should ask herself how does the mantra “Ghana Must Go” come about? It started here in Nigeria and ended here in Nigeria. But Ghanaians left Nigeria, with all the arrows that pierced their heart, stones that broke their head, anger that inspired their exodus, went home and built their nation to our admiration. Nigerian youths contribute in several billions of dollars annually to Ghana’s treasury just to be educated in Ghana.
President Buhari may have good intentions, but he is clearly aloof and have no idea whatsoever, how to drag Nigeria out of the current pit of hell. Nigerian Government must in practical terms, start setting up industries, in this country and ensure steady power supply, security of people and property, and create enabling environment for business to grow; if they do this, Nigerians will develop this state in less than four years.
After all, what did it take Germany to rebuild? What did it take China to set up; what is it costing Rwanda to becoming the best African state in sub-Saharan Africa few months from genocide? Only political will-power and good governance devoid of corruption can save South Africa, exactly the same way it will save Nigeria.
What makes South Africa’s claim a rubber snake is the same reason we are not blaming the presence of Stanbic Bank, the South African Airways, the MTN, the DStv, the ShopRite, among other South Africa’s presence in Nigeria for any of our inabilities.