Why we may not be coming home just yet, by Nigerians in South Africa
of their friends and relatives in the former apartheid enclave, it may be interesting to know that a good number of Nigerians are not just ready to come back home anytime soon. Gboyega Alaka reports.
He was a youth, full of energy and armed with great footballing skills. Very likely, he must have heard of Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns; and fancied himself getting a slot in one of them. But dreams are dreams, and not all come to fruition. Asked to shower some light on the crisis and if Nigerians are indeed the ones inviting the attacks upon themselves because of their involvement in crime and loud lifestyle, Okoli said, “
He said the two incidents that precipitated these bouts of attacks on foreigners were wrongly pitched on Nigerians. “The first incident, which happened in Pretoria, in which a South African taxi driver was shot and killed, could not have involved a Nigerian because there wasn’t any Nigerian in that area. It was a Tanzanian who was selling drug that the police were chasing, when a bullet accidentally hit and killed the taxi driver.
“Even those who don’t have money would be making out like they have money, thereby attracting attention. One person may buy a bottle of beer and they would gather and be drinking, to the extent that the indigenes just conclude that these Nigerians spend their time doing nothing but drink and celebrate. But all the other nationals segregate themselves, so the indigenes know little or nothing about them.
His decision to stay back is also not conditioned on any special protection from the South African authorities. “We are in demand and the people want to learn from us. The area I stay is quiet and we co-habit with white and black people who are also into agriculture. Also, when you are in such areas, they see you as responsible and hardly target you.”
38-year-old Sunny-Wenike Douglas arrived South Africa in 2009 as a student. Like several other Africans, he had been attracted by the lure and opportunities of the nascent republic. After completing his studies at the South African Institute of Security, he took the bold step and went into logistics and transport business.
Like Okoli, Sunny-Wenike admits that there is a perception about black foreigners due to the way they have over the years flooded the country, even as he maintains that Nigeria does not constitute a significant percentage of that migration. “Yes, there was an attack, which we linked to xenophobia, although there have been claims that they were mere acts of criminality; but I can state categorically that in this current attacks, no Nigerian life has been lost. Even the video of the setting ablaze of a human being, which has gone viral, is not related to this recent attacks and certainly not a Nigerian. It is a confirmed case of jungle justice, which is not uncommon here, of a man who stole a handbag.
Asked to assess the situation as at the time of this interview, Sunny-Wenike said, “As I speak, there is no tension in the air. Everything is under control. I’m in Johannesburg right now and people are going about their businesses without hindrance, children have gone to school; although there is a call for caution and for the people to be observant as some people may want to capitalise on the recent attacks to cause mayhem. But it is not as if there is palpable danger in the air.
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