Hundreds of Nigerians converged on the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria as renewed anti-immigrant protests and xenophobic tensions spread across South Africa, prompting fresh concerns over the safety of foreign nationals.
The gathering came amid fears of possible attacks and coincided with the Federal Government’s ongoing evacuation of citizens who volunteered to return home.
As anxiety mounted, another batch of 269 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday aboard an Air Peace flight from Johannesburg. The aircraft landed at 10:48 a.m., making it the second government-coordinated evacuation flight in recent weeks.
The situation was further worsened by the reported killing of a Nigerian businessman popularly known as “Big Joe,” who was allegedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga Province, on Sunday. South African police have yet to disclose the circumstances surrounding his death.
Across South Africa, thousands of protesters marched through major cities on Tuesday, demanding the removal of undocumented migrants. Security personnel, including police and private security operatives, were deployed across affected areas following concerns that the demonstrations could become violent after anti-migrant groups fixed Tuesday as the deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country.
The protests reportedly forced many foreign nationals to flee their homes over fears of intimidation and attacks. South African police said about 25,000 migrants, most of them from other African countries, have already been repatriated.
Authorities said the protests were largely peaceful, although isolated incidents of looting, vandalism and assaults were recorded.
In Johannesburg, police maintained a heavy presence across the city centre while businesses shut down in parts of the commercial district. Soldiers were also deployed to Hillbrow, a suburb with a large migrant population, after reports that a teenager had been shot and a vehicle set on fire.
Local media reported that protesters in Yeoville threw bricks at homes occupied by migrants, while demonstrators in Germiston allegedly forced suspected undocumented foreigners out of their residences before handing them over to police for immigration screening.
Police confirmed the arrest of five people for allegedly looting a foreign-owned shop in Soweto. In KwaZulu-Natal Province, about 10 suspects were arrested over looting, while another woman was detained for allegedly assaulting a police officer and a man was arrested over alleged intimidation following the reported assault of a foreign national.
Leader of the anti-migrant group March and March, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, said the organisation would continue weekly demonstrations for the next six months to pressure the government into deporting undocumented migrants.
A member of Operation Dudula also told the BBC that the group would continue urging police to arrest foreigners residing illegally in South Africa.
Ahead of the demonstrations, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with some protest leaders in an effort to ease tensions. While acknowledging concerns about immigration, he appealed for peaceful protests and warned against violence and intimidation.
“Some foreign nationals who live in South Africa are here lawfully,” the president said in his weekly newsletter.
“They work, study, raise families, invest in our economy and contribute positively to our society. They too are entitled to the protection of our laws and our Constitution.”
He added that the right to protest “does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government reiterated its commitment to protecting Nigerians still residing in South Africa and assured citizens that diplomatic engagement with the South African authorities remained ongoing.
In a statement signed by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government said evacuation efforts had been intensified ahead of the June 30 deadline issued by South African groups for undocumented foreigners to leave the country.
The ministry noted that before Tuesday’s evacuation, another 66 Nigerians had returned to Lagos on June 24 aboard a Value Jet flight facilitated by the airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Kunle Soname.
According to the ministry, officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa accompanied the latest batch of evacuees, who were received at the Lagos airport by senior Foreign Affairs Ministry officials led by the Director of the African Affairs Department, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe.
Speaking during the reception, Ali-Gombe conveyed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s message of reassurance to the returnees.
He said, “The batch of 269 evacuees, escorted by officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa, were officially received at the airport by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by the Director, African Affairs Department, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, mni, who conveyed the heartfelt greetings and assurances of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to the returning nationals, reaffirming the Federal Government’s steadfast commitment to ensure the safety of Nigerian nationals living outside the country.”
The ministry stressed that the evacuation programme was continuing despite the June 30 deadline.
It stated, “With the June 30 deadline on undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa, the Federal Government wishes to reiterate the fact that the evacuation process is still on course and more flights are expected in the country in the next few days to evacuate all Nigerians that have been screened and cleared to voluntarily return to the country. Government will continue to engage South African authorities at the highest levels to ensure the protection of Nigerian nationals living in the country.”
Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, attributed the crowd that gathered outside the Nigerian mission in Pretoria to misinformation circulated within the Nigerian community rather than official instructions from the embassy.
He explained that the mission had adopted a structured evacuation process, with only screened individuals invited when flights were ready.
He said, “The (Nigerian) community here puts people in a difficult situation. Our agreement was that it is only when the flight is coming that we call the people who are captured on the list because we have a list for different batches.
“The last time we called them, the community went overboard to announce that everybody should report, whereas that was not the case. It is not what we asked them to do.”
Ajayi added that some of those staying in churches and outside the embassy were not on the approved evacuation list.
He said, “Some of these people you said are staying at the church were those who defied the mission’s notification and followed the community’s notification. They found themselves in such a situation, which is uncalled for. Some of them were not even captured during the screening exercise. They just showed up, while some were told to exercise patience so that we could call them when it was their turn. We are following due process to ensure that everything is orderly.”
He also confirmed that the Nigerian mission had opened discussions with South African police over the reported killing of the Nigerian businessman while continuing to pursue justice in previous cases involving Nigerians allegedly killed in the country.
The envoy said, “We are getting an initial report. We are getting detailed information to be clear on the circumstances surrounding that. We have been liaising with the police, and we are getting a preliminary report concerning that incident. Yes, he is a Nigerian living there, but we are getting the details.”
Ajayi added that the evacuation exercise remained ongoing, with hundreds of Nigerians already returned to the country and more flights expected for those who voluntarily registered for repatriation.
Also speaking, President General of the Nigerian Union South Africa, Barrister Smart Nwobi, said the union had advised Nigerians to remain indoors and temporarily shut their businesses while monitoring developments across the country.
He said, “We are still monitoring things. We instructed our people to close their shops and stay indoors.”
Nwobi disclosed that humanitarian support, including shelter, food, blankets and other relief materials, was being provided to displaced Nigerians through the Nigerian Union, the Nigerian High Commission and other organisations as additional evacuation flights were being arranged.
