Xenophobic attack: Stay indoor, High Commission tells Nigerians

• attacks completely misplaced – Media critic

By Odunewu Segun

The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa has advised Nigerians living in South Africa to suspend all business activities pending when adequate security is restored.

National Daily gathered that the warning is coming on the heels of a proposed protest by a group in South Africa slated for today, Friday 24. The group, Mamelodi Concerned Residence, had on Wednesday issued a release, calling on South Africans to protest the presence of immigrants, Nigerians inclusive, whom the group accused of taking jobs meant for South Africans as well as being responsible for the high crime rates in the country.

Therefore, in other to avoid attacks on its nationals during the protest, the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa in a statement signed by acting head of Chancery, A.T Azare, and made available to National Daily, advised Nigerians to halt for now, all activites in their various business premises pending the resolution of the current crises.

“They are also advised to sustain communication with each other and most importantly avoid potentially volatile areas,” the statement advised.

Meanwhile, a South African media critic and writer, Trevor Noah, has debunked the claim by some South Africans that other African nationals residing in the country are responsible for the high unemployment rates in the country.

“There are about 6000 Europeans families who own over 85% of agricultural lands in south Africa. So when I hear south Africans claiming that other Africans are competing with them on dwindling/scarce resources, I say that your anger and outrage is misplaced.”

He said those fueling the attacks should be mindful of the fact that African immigrants don’t own lands, don’t run companies, don’t own mining companies, don’t operate trophy hunting companies, do not ship out capital to European banks.

According to him, the xenophobic attacks on fellow africans by South Africans is a complete misplaced anger, prejudice and xenophobia built up out of inferiority complex created by decades of apartheid and oppression.

“If you feel undeserved in wealth distribution, please research again who controls that wealth and it has nothing to do with some Nigerian, Zimbabwean or Mozambican working in a restaurant or Ethiopian running a small shop, or a Ghanaian mechanic working hard in the sun,” Noah explained.