…Says Nigeria, South Africa Must Collaborate to Champion Africa’s Development

Former President, Mr Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigeria and other countries affected by the raging xenophobia attacks in South Africa to table appropriate motions at the African Union (AU) and consider other measures if the situation is allowed to continue.

This is coming against the backdrop of statement by Foreign Minister, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama that Nigeria will not table the matter at the United Nations General Assembly, saying it’s an issue that can be resolved between both countries.

In a letter written to President of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Obasanjo, whose government as military head of state massively galvanized support for the anti-apartheid struggle, condemned the xenophobic attacks on foreign citizens in South Africa.

He said, “for any African country to encourage or allow or not seriously sanction xenophobia against Africans in their country, it is a great disservice not only to the country where xenophobia takes place and the countries of the victims concerned, but also a great disservice to the whole of Africa and the black race.”

The former President declared that there was “need for fence-mending, reconciliation, and wound-binding between South Africa and the countries whose citizens have been victims of xenophobia and Afrophobia in South Africa.”

“As a suggestion, South Africa should send emissaries to the countries concerned to explain, apologize and agree on the way forward for mutual understanding, accommodation, reconciliation, and binding the wound to promote unity, concord, and brotherhood in Africa.

“Repatriation of Nigerians from South Africa is obviously not a permanent solution. At best it is palliative. But the hurt will still remain for some time.  Neither is revenge a desirable solution.

“Mutual understanding and acknowledgment of what needs to be done on all sides is imperative and getting down to doing them is the solution that will serve Nigeria and South Africa and indeed Africa well particularly in this era of Africa Continental Free Trade Area opportunities.

“Nigeria and South Africa must stand together to champion African cause and to jointly shepherd African development, unity, cooperation, security, and progress to make the 21st century Africa’s century,” Obasanjo said.

Meanwhile, South African President, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, has apologised to Nigeria over the xenophobic attacks in his country.

The country’s special envoy, Mr Jeff Radebe, tendered the apology on behalf of the South African leader when he visited Nigeria on Monday.

Mr Radebe spoke during a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

Also present at the meeting were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Mr Kabiru Bala; as well as the acting South African High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr Bobby Moroe.

The special envoy presented a letter and conveyed the message from the South African leader to President Buhari.

President Ramaphosa, according to Radebe, said the attacks provided a good opportunity for African leaders to tackle unemployment and inequality in the entire continent.

He added that the issue of compensation to Nigerian victims would feature during President Buhari’s visit to South Africa on October 3.

This however comes against the statement of South African Foreign Minister, Mrs Naledi Pandor, that there is no provision for compensating those affected in the fresh attacks in the country.

In an interview with Reuters, Pandor said her country’s laws do not have provision for such.

Last week, angry mob went on rampage in South Africa, targetting foreign nationals, including Nigerians.

Mr Adetola Olubajo, president of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, said Nigerians lost property worth millions of dollars in the attacks.

In its response, the federal government summoned Moroe while President Buhari also sent a special envoy to President Ramaphosa to convey his displeasure over the attacks.

The federal government also pulled out of the ongoing World Economic Forum in South Africa and recalled its High Commissioner to the country.

It also demanded that its citizens involved in the attacks should be fully compensated.

“Full compensation has to be paid because as we have discovered from previous experience, a lot of these Nigerians lost their property and it is a long drawn out process and very often are not compensated for it. But on this occasion, the Nigerian government is going to fight for full compensation and hold the government of South Africa to count,” Onyeama, said at a press conference in Abuja.

The South African High Commission in Nigeria suspended operations on Thursday morning following attacks on MTN, Shoprite and some South Africa-owned businesses across the country.

Commenting on this, Pandor said she was in touch with Nigerian authorities to try to restore calm. She also said efforts were in place to address the unrest in South Africa.

“There is an Afrophobia we are sensing that exists, there is resentment and we need to address that,” Reuters quoted Pandor to have said.

Meanwhile, Mr Onyeama has confirmed that the Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa has not been recalled but invited to give a clearer picture of events.

President Ramaphosa had sent special envoys to Nigeria and six other countries over the xenophobic attacks in his country.

This followed a situation in Zimbabwe where he was booed while addressing mourners at former President Robert Mugabe’s funeral last weekend.

Apart from Nigeria, the special envoys were instructed to visit Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

The South African leader asked the envoys to deliver messages of solidarity to the Heads of State and Governments of those nations following the attacks on their citizens in his country.

Other South Africans assigned to visit those countries are Ambassador Kingsley Mmabolo and Dr Khulu Mbatha.