South Africa is boiling and burning, not as a result of any uprising against white apartheid but an uprising against fellow Africans, especially Nigerians.
The incessant orgies of violence displayed by South Africans remind one of the fate of early Christians in medieval Rome who were hunted down and suffered indescribable torture. While being barbequed in open flames or mauled by wild beasts in the coliseum, the Roman mobs cheered with the bored expressions of satiated hounds. That black South Africans will quickly reward fellow Africans especially Nigerians with ingratitude despite the sacrifice made towards their freedom explains in clear term the stupidity of the black man.
This is not the first time South Africans are killing Africans,especially Nigerians and destroying their businesses. I recall 2015 and way back before then. The seed of hate has been sown by several politicians in the country who are in the business of inciting violence against foreigners in pursuit of populism. While their Nigerian counterparts use ethnicity and religion to gain political prominence in local elections, their South African counterparts however tacitly deploy Xenophobia.
The current South African President, Cyril Ramphosa was on record to have incited his supporters against foreign nationals. During his campaign stumps for presidency, Ramphosa claimed that foreigners are arriving South Africa, settling and setting up businesses. He promised to deal with them. No one is against South Africa putting regulations to check influx of illegal aliens into their country but what about preventing hate crimes and protecting the rights of lawful settlers and visitors?
Also, to underscore the complicity of the South African police and their support for xenophobia, the Deputy Minister of Police in South Africa claimed that foreigners have seized South Africa, and that South Africans cannot surrender South Africa to foreigners. When a cabinet minister makes this kind of xenophobic pronouncements, then you can imagine the temperament of his illiterate compatriots. In some of the videos trending on the social media, the police were seen laughing while watching the violence being unleashed against Nigerians and disruptions of their businesses.
A South African politician told me in a recent conversation that Nigeria is no longer the greatest African nation and that our claim of being the giant of Africa is delusional. I tried unsuccessfully to convince him that his claims were not true.Even though Nigeria has many serious problems that are not being addressed by the government. Until we devise a way to deal with the general state of insecurity that has seen all manner of religious and ethnic militias holding the country prostrate, we cannot claim to be a great nation. Recently, the UN labeled Nigeria a pressure cooker for violence that may soon become catastrophic.
I reminded myself that until we find a way to resolve the mass murder and kidnappings of Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram and ISWA; until we find a way to ensure no Nigerian dies as a result of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and decease; until we find full participation of citizens in governance; create equality of all citizens including the right of every citizen to aspire to the number one job; until we provide quality health care, good education and jobs for our peoples, then we cannot claim greatness. I reminded myself of how our politics has become very violent, rigged and manipulated. Despite the efforts to check corruption in public service, the monster remains on the loose. We truly cannot be the greatest African country without an honest executive, a robust legislature and independent judiciary. These are the reasons we are no longer respected by our friends nor feared by our foes.
During the apartheid struggle, we were made to believe that all the problems of the blacks were tied to white rule which must be dismantled. They were then promised all the luxury and comfort enjoyed by the whites without the corresponding responsibility of good education, skills and discipline.
Apartheid no doubt was a wrong policy and there was need for black South Africans to be free from apartheid rule. Brother African countries rallied round South Africans with Nigeria leading the charge. Nigeria first Prime Minister Sir Tafawa Belewa lobbied extensively for the expulsion of apartheid South Africa from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961. Beyond political support, Nigeria became the first African nation to provide direct financial resources to ANC and also safe haven for many ANC leaders. In the 70s Nigeria provided over $5M in annual subvention for both the ANC and PAC. In 1976 Nigeria established Southern African Relief Fund for the purpose of providing education and taking general welfare of black South Africans. The Federal Government donated $3.7m into the fund. Civil servants in Nigeria donated 2% of their monthly salaries. Students skipped lunch to contribute to the fund. In six months the contribution to the fund reached $10.5million. Successive Nigeria governments funded the struggle and made sure apartheid was dismantled. We never saw our South African brothers as strangers. We embraced them like black brothers.
With the end of Apartheid, and like most utopia, the promise of Eldorado never came. The politicians rather than develop policies that will create jobs and take the people out of poverty resort to the usual blame game. They quickly changed the narrative making the people believe that they don’t have jobs because foreigners like Nigerians have taken their jobs. It was a cheap and easy narrative which simply swapped Whites with foreigners as the new problem.
It is heart breaking to find fellow Africans calling brother Africans who fought side by side with them in the same trench for freedom, strangers. Should we regret helping black South Africans to become free from white minority rule? Shouldn’t we have seen them as strange black men and women then? My answer is that there is nothing to regret. We did what was necessary. If the situation presents itself again we will still act with greater nobility.
We have South African companies like MTN, DSTV, Southern Sun, and Shoprite etc doing big businesses in Nigeria. Their earnings in Nigeria which is enriching South African economy is sizeable compared to the small businesses owned by our people over there. We have no record of our government or our people disturbing them. Like brothers, they are neither harassed nor are they living in fear. They are treated with respect, love and dignity. That is what defines us and make us different from the xenophobic South Africans.
No doubt this is a very difficult and challenging time for our country and our people. The attacks on our people have become scary and dangerous and will require drastic and decisive actions and not any tepid and incoherent response.
The current situation does not require mere press releases with puerile exhibitions of self presentations designed to fuel self popularity rather than to contribute to conflict resolutions or enhanced national image.
The matter should be handled with diplomacy, firmness and efficiency. When our citizens are in harm’s way it is the responsibility of government to ensure the lives of citizens are preserved.
We must bear in mind that South Africa belongs to South Africa. If they insist that we must leave, as a proud nation we should consider the prompt evacuation of our people to safety.
To remind South Africa, that Xenophobia is not a Holy War, everything should be on the card including boycotting all the boycottables, suspension of diplomatic ties, boycott of South African businesses and all future bilateral engagements with South Africa. There is nothing wrong in our government taking reciprocity measures against South African businesses. So far, the Federal Government has taken vibrant steps to the admiration of citizens by dispatching a high powered envoy to the South Africa, recall of our High Commissioner and pulling out of the World Economic Summit that recently took place in South-Africa. We should go beyond all these to lobby CAF to expel South Africa from all CAF competitions. What the South Africans are doing and the complicity of their government is capable of destroying the fabrics of African brotherhood and throws the entire Africa into a civil war. This xenophobia is not a holy war.