“Many people entered South Africa legally but later became undocumented because of …”
Recurring xenophobic attacks and migration debates have continued to shape perceptions of Nigeria-South Africa relations despite cordial diplomatic ties between both countries.
PREMIUM TIMES: South Africa has witnessed several anti-immigrant protests this year. How would you assess the situation, particularly as it affects Nigerians?
Temitope Ajayi: When the protests occurred, particularly the one on 30 March, many properties were destroyed. After that, there was another round of protests in April, and from then on, different groups began organising demonstrations across South Africa.
There were calls for protests in Johannesburg, the Eastern Cape, and several other provinces. When you put all of these together, you begin to appreciate the scale of what has happened.
This year alone, we have recorded no fewer than 10 different incidents relating to these protests.
I have always been careful not to link unrelated incidents. Some of the extrajudicial killings I mentioned were not directly connected to the protests. Rather, they arose from encounters with security personnel. In some cases, security officers would raid a residence based on intelligence that someone was involved in drug trafficking. Those encounters have sometimes resulted in sudden deaths, after which explanations are given that the individual suffered a heart attack or collapsed. We know that is not always the full story.
Many of these attacks occur outside the capital, particularly in remote areas where Nigerians live and do business. Nigerians are spread across South Africa, and in some of these places, they are vulnerable because security agencies cannot respond quickly enough.
That is where we have seen many of the incidents this year.
PREMIUM TIMES: Are you satisfied with the South African government’s response to these attacks?
Temitope Ajayi: I must say we have not found the response encouraging.
When violent crimes are committed, you expect to see the authorities go all out to investigate and prosecute those responsible. We have not seen that level of response.
For a long time, there were no arrests. Instead, we saw statements about stakeholder engagements and consultations. Those are important, but they cannot replace accountability.
From our perspective, the response has fallen short of what we expected because we know the South African government has the capacity, the institutions and everything required to deal decisively with these issues if it chooses to do so.
PREMIUM TIMES: What message would you like Nigerians back home to take away, particularly regarding calls for retaliation against South African interests in Nigeria?
Temitope Ajayi: From the very beginning, the position of the Nigerian government has been very clear: there must be no retaliatory attacks against South African businesses in Nigeria.
Our security agencies have been proactive whenever tensions rise because Mr President has made it clear that nobody should take the law into their own hands.
Nigeria has exercised considerable restraint, and I believe that demonstrates maturity. That is the message we continue to carry because it shows we are more civil in how we respond to these issues.
We should continue on that path because we have many more Nigerians living in South Africa than South Africans living in Nigeria. What South Africa has in Nigeria is largely business investments.
If there were reprisals in Nigeria, they would most likely affect businesses rather than individuals, and that is not the direction we want to go.
The message we continue to carry is that we should de-escalate tensions rather than inflame them.
PREMIUM TIMES: Are there particular areas Nigerians should be cautious about?
Temitope Ajayi: Yes. There are known hotspots. For example, in Pretoria, Sunnyside has repeatedly emerged as one such area. There is nothing “sunny” about Sunnyside whenever these incidents occur.
In Johannesburg, there is also a place we identify as a hotspot where Nigerians have been specifically targeted during periods of unrest.
When we receive credible signals that protests may become violent, we advise Nigerians to close their shops, stay indoors, and avoid unnecessary exposure.
Those are the areas where attacks are most likely to occur because many foreign nationals live and operate businesses there.
You may not notice anything unusual around diplomatic areas because security is heavily deployed there. But when you go to communities where foreigners live and work, the situation can be very different.
PREMIUM TIMES: Earlier, you appealed for more support for the voluntary repatriation of Nigerians from South Africa. What has the Nigerian government done so far?
Temitope Ajayi: The Federal Government has sponsored five repatriation flights. These were government-sponsored charter flights.
Each time, we evacuated more than 200 Nigerians. It was voluntary repatriation, so some people who initially indicated interest eventually decided not to travel.