Africa: Interview – Why Nigerians Remain Vulnerable to Xenophobia in South Africa – How Governments Can Change the Narrative – – Acting High Commissioner Temitope Ajayi

“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.

During a recent visit to the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, PREMIUM TIMES interviewed Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner, Temitope Ajayi, on the state of bilateral relations, xenophobic attacks, repatriation, migration, security and ongoing efforts to strengthen people-to-people engagement.

Excerpts:

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.

Repatriation efforts

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.

Apart from the charter flights, we also had groups and individuals who purchased one-way tickets for Nigerians who wanted to return home. Those were different from the government-sponsored flights.

The government has actually funded five charter flights to South Africa to bring Nigerians home.

We are now encouraging private individuals and organisations to complement the government’s efforts so that more Nigerians who genuinely wish to return can do so.

PREMIUM TIMES: Were those who returned largely undocumented migrants?

Temitope Ajayi: Let me shed more light on that. The five Air Peace charter flights sponsored by the Federal Government brought back more than 1,490 Nigerians.

Outside of that, there were additional interventions. One organisation sponsored 66 Nigerians. The Nigerian Lawyers Association in South Africa purchased tickets for 29 Nigerians. Another group that prefers not to be identified sponsored 85 Nigerians, and another 63 returned the following week.

Even now, there are people buying tickets for Nigerians who want to return home. We have accommodated about 15 Nigerians here.

By and large, we have about 1,600 Nigerians who have returned through government sponsorship and various private interventions.

It is important to understand that not everyone who returned was undocumented.

Many people entered South Africa legally but later became undocumented because of delays within the South African immigration system. Some submitted their documents and waited for years without receiving their residence permits. They had passports but no residence documents because of administrative delays.

So when people describe them as undocumented immigrants, it is important to understand the circumstances. Many of them did not enter South Africa illegally. They became undocumented because the system failed to process their papers in time. That is an important distinction.

Support for returnees

PREMIUM TIMES: Some of those who returned left behind businesses and property. Was there any support to help them start life again?

Temitope Ajayi: Yes. There were different interventions.

The Imo State Government provided ₦1 million to each returning indigene to help them restart their lives. At the time, one pastor also gave ₦100,000 to each returnee. MTN also came in to provide support.

More recently, the Delta State Government gave ₦2 million to each Delta indigene who returned and also indicated that they would place them on some allowances pending their reintegration into society.

NEMA and other relevant agencies also collected data on the returnees to support their reintegration.

A lot of these Nigerians had lived here for years. Some still had money. In fact, when we were taking some of them to the airport, we told them they could not use the South African rand back home. Some of them started giving us their rand because they couldn’t take it with them. So, some actually returned with some money.

But many others lost virtually everything.

They left their businesses. They left their cars. They left their houses. They left their shops. Some people fled to save their lives.

That was why, when the issue of compensation came up, we maintained that Nigerians also deserved compensation, as many had abandoned their businesses, homes, and other property.

Some people came into their shops, threw out their goods and took over the premises as if they now belonged to them.

When people later began saying Nigeria should pay compensation, we saw that as a way of avoiding the question of compensating Nigerians for the losses they suffered here.

Alleged abuses by security personnel

PREMIUM TIMES: There have also been concerns about alleged abuses involving South African security personnel.

Temitope Ajayi: To be fair to the South African police, they do not just stop people on the road and begin to harass them. Most times, they act on information.

Unfortunately, one of the stereotypes they have is that Nigerians are involved in drugs. So when they receive information that drugs are involved somewhere, they move in.

Another challenge is that Nigerians sometimes sell themselves out. We have seen cases where one Nigerian gives information about another Nigerian. Corruption also exists within the security system here.

Generally, if you have lived in South Africa for 10 or 15 years, have your documents and have not found yourself on the wrong side of the law, nothing will happen to you.

But once you are caught on the wrong side of the law, or during periods of heightened tension when security agencies are conducting checks, there will naturally be concerns.

That is why we always advise Nigerians to regularise their immigration status and ensure they have the proper documentation.

PREMIUM TIMES: There have also been complaints about visas being delayed or people being denied entry despite holding valid South African visas. What is your assessment?

Temitope Ajayi: There are challenges.

The South African mission may issue a visa. Still, when you arrive at OR Tambo International Airport, immigration officials sometimes reject it because it lacks the required control number from Home Affairs.

There appears to be a systemic problem between the South African missions issuing visas and the Home Affairs authorities responsible for authenticating them.

We have raised this repeatedly because it does not promote good bilateral relations.

At the same time, visa issuance is entirely within the responsibility of the South African authorities. It is not something the Nigerian High Commission controls.

Our role is to continue engaging through the existing bilateral mechanisms to improve the process and address those concerns.

PREMIUM TIMES: South Africa has argued that migration is at the heart of many of these tensions, while many Nigerians point to the country’s “Japa” phenomenon. How do you respond to that conversation?

Temitope Ajayi: This is a migration issue. There is no country that does not have migration challenges.

Somebody mentioned the Japa syndrome in Nigeria and that many Nigerians are leaving the country. But migration is a global phenomenon.

Do you know that, between January and September this year in the United States, more than 10,000 asylum applications from South Africans were processed? Please fact-check it. South Africans are also migrating.

So, when people say migration is only a Nigerian problem, that is not correct. South Africa also has social and economic challenges that are driving migration.

We are not afraid to discuss migration because it is a global issue. There was a time at the United Nations when we had the Global Compact for Migration because governments across the world recognised that migration is something every country has to deal with.

Yes, Nigeria has its own challenges, but you also have innovators, entrepreneurs and people creating opportunities without depending on the government.

People will continue to move and youcannot prevent that completely.

Nigeria’s population is close to 230 million, while South Africa’s population is about 50 million. The dynamics are different.

One thing South Africa has done relatively well is developing many of its local communities. When you travel outside the major cities, you still see infrastructure and development.

Nigeria needs to strengthen governance and institutions, particularly at the local government level, so that opportunities are created closer to where people live.

Too many Nigerians believe that everything is at the centre. We need to build opportunities across the country.

Even then, migration will not disappear. It is part of human society.

Strengthening relations

PREMIUM TIMES: Politically, Nigeria and South Africa still maintain cordial relations. How can that translate into better people-to-people relations?

Temitope Ajayi: Inter-state relations are very dynamic. Whenever you see tension between two countries, the leaders try to react in a way that does not escalate the situation because there are many interests involved investment, cooperation, businesses and education.

Even in June, when all these issues were going on, the University of Pretoria approached us because it wanted to come to Nigeria to conduct its admission exercise. Every year, whenever the university opens its admission portal, the number of Nigerian applicants surpasses applicants from many other countries, including Germany. That was at the height of the crisis.

What does that tell us? It simply tells us that the political relationship between both countries must be maintained so that other aspects of the relationship are not jeopardised.

The next challenge is ensuring that this political goodwill trickles down to the people. That will require deliberate collaboration between the Nigerian and South African governments to increase awareness and deepen dialogue because we know there have been issues on both sides.

In fact, after the recent incidents, I had a bilateral discussion with South Africa’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation. One of the resolutions we reached was that both countries should begin sponsoring cultural exchanges because people understand culture better when they meet themselves.

We discovered that Nigerians have a greater tendency to travel to South Africa than South Africans have to travel to Nigeria. It is not because Nigerians are better travellers. South Africans lived through apartheid and were not allowed to travel freely for many years, and that became ingrained psychologically.

That is why we believe traditional rulers from both countries should begin exchanging visits. When they see our culture firsthand, they will better understand who we are. Likewise, Nigerians should also come here and understand South African society better.

One area that has already helped significantly is Nollywood. Nigerian films have introduced many South Africans to our culture. We need more initiatives like that because they help people understand who we really are.

Practical steps, solutions

PREMIUM TIMES: Beyond government-to-government engagement, what practical steps is the High Commission taking to improve perceptions of Nigerians in South Africa?

Temitope Ajayi: We have been engaging consistently through different platforms.

We have developed what we call social cohesion dialogues, where we go into the provinces and bring Nigerian communities together with local South African communities so they can interact and understand one another better.

We have held a series of those engagements over the years to foster peaceful coexistence. This year, because of the challenges we have had, we have not been able to do as many as we would have liked.

At the government level, under the Memorandum of Understanding between both countries, we also have what we call consular and migration consultations. Through that framework, officials from the foreign ministries and the missions of both countries meet regularly to discuss migration, consular matters and issues affecting citizens.

We have also engaged the private sector. Several times I have met with MTN executives and other South African investors to discuss how we can jointly address the perception problem between our two countries.

PREMIUM TIMES: How often does the High Commission engage with the Nigerian community in South Africa?

Temitope Ajayi: That engagement is continuous.

Whenever we have consular outreach programmes, we meet with Nigerians. Even when we are not holding consular exercises, we regularly meet community leaders to discuss issues affecting Nigerians here.

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