Xenophobia Escalates in South Africa as Nigerians Given Free Flights Amid Rising Attacks

By: Abudu Olalekan

With rising attacks on foreigners in some areas of South Africa, Nigerian residents are getting free tickets back home should they choose to leave for good.

Now beginning, the Nigerian Consulate teams up with the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa to start helping citizens return home. Interest grows fast, people reaching out every hour.

Shops shut down because of the chaos, Frank Onyekwelu said. He leads NICASA, speaking straight to reporters. Life feels shaky for countless Nigerians right now. Jobs have frozen in place. Going anywhere takes more effort than before. Quiet dread slips into each morning.

He says help isn’t really in place for Nigerians who’ve lost jobs or homes – still, the consulate stepping in offers an exit route for some. Though support remains shaky, a path opens for those choosing to go.

“The Nigerian Consulate, in conjunction with NICASA, has offered a free repatriation flight to any Nigerian who wishes to leave South Africa permanently,” Onyekwelu said. “The process is ongoing, and many Nigerians have already indicated interest in returning home.”

Nigerians Living in Fear
Fright filled the air, said Nigerians in South Africa talking to Reportersroom. These last days have weighed heavy on their minds.

Staying inside feels safer, some explain, when walking outside brings danger. Shutting up shop became necessary, others note, since attacks focused on stores owned by foreigners – broken into, stolen from, burned down.

Out on the streets of Pretoria, people have raised their voices. Johannesburg has seen crowds gather under tense skies. Durban’s corners echo with unrest. East London joins the list too. Across stretches of KwaZulu-Natal, tension lingers. Foreigners in multiple spots now deal with stares that turn sharp. Some face words meant to scare. Others find walls marked where they live. A few carry bruises from what broke out nearby.

Fear spread fast among Nigerians living abroad when the trouble started, reaching deep into African immigrant circles too. When things got worse, the diaspora office told shopkeepers with Nigerian ties it might be safer to shut doors for now – fewer people around could mean fewer targets, less damage.

Out there, word is spreading that demonstrations have roots in neighborhood collectives, alongside hard-line immigration opponents, plus networks like Operation Dudula. The March and March Movement pop up often when people talk about who’s involved. Some say their reasons tie back to border rules ignored, lack of jobs piling up, along with rising thefts and violence nearby.

Facing Nigerian and other African migrants stuck in between, the impact hits closer to home.

Word spreads fast. Outsiders aren’t welcome here. That’s how it sounds anyway.

Two Nigerians Found Dead
Out of Johannesburg, the Nigerian Consulate General shared news about two deaths involving citizens – Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew – in different events tied to ongoing violence and growing tension. While one incident unfolded suddenly, another followed escalating unrest. Each case connects back to a sharper wave of aggression seen lately. Officials did not go into further detail but acknowledged both losses stemmed from the broader turmoil.

From his office, the Consul-General Ninikanwa Okey-Uche shared news late Tuesday. That report carried weight – Emmanuel never recovered. What happened traces back to an encounter on April 20. During it, soldiers from South Africa’s defence force reportedly used violence. Because of those actions, injuries took hold. They proved too much. The outcome came days later when life ended. Details remain sharp in official records.

On April 19, Andrew got arrested in Booysens, Pretoria, following a clash with Tshwane Metro Police officers, reports say. Later, his remains turned up at the Pretoria Central Morgue.

Footage spreading across the internet captures crowds waving wooden poles, moving down city roads. Shouts rise up in rhythm, aimed at outsiders. These processions unfold under public view, loud and tightly packed. Anger pulses through their words, carried on voices that echo between buildings.

A man selling goods faced angry words in a clip, ordered to take his family and go back home. One scene showed tension rise fast when locals stepped close.

“How come you are here in South Africa to continue selling goods?” one of the men asked him.

Years spent in the land meant little when hunger spoke louder than laws. His voice cracked as reasons spilled out – children needing food, days stretched thin. A man shaped by time here still faced suspicion just the same.

“I didn’t come to South Africa today. I have been here for a long time. The only thing is what I’m doing to feed my children,” he said.

Yet they brushed off what he said.

“From now on, we don’t want foreigners in this town. We are fixing our South Africa now,” one voice said.

Another added, “Take your wife and go back to your country. Take your children and go and raise them at home.”

Ethiopian Citizen Killed
A man from Ethiopia lost his life in central Johannesburg during a shooting that looked like it was aimed directly at him.

A person seen on camera got confronted where streets cross, packed with people. Shot happened right there, up close. Nothing suggested stealing or any reason moments before. No clues pointed to why it went down.

Folks in charge mentioned nobody’s been taken in yet, though they’re still looking into things. While the probe drags on, doors remain open for new leads to turn up.

Out of step with who we are – that’s how police describe attacks on foreign nationals. Violence targeting outsiders runs counter to everything built since democracy began. Tough words follow recent unrest aimed at non-citizens. Blunt rejection comes straight from law enforcement leadership. What happened is not acceptable, they stress. Actions like these break the spirit of unity long fought for. Strong disapproval echoes through official channels.

“These actions are not only unlawful, but they stand in direct opposition to the values of dignity, equality, and human rights upon which our democracy is founded,” the police said.

Nigerian Traders Count Their Losses
Facing repeated strikes, Nigerian shopkeepers now tally up steep damages. Some say it’s getting harder to keep going after each new blow hits close to home.

One trader mentioned how stores run by foreigners – Nigerians, mostly, also some from Ghana – took the brunt. Looters smashed windows first thing at dawn. A supermarket on Fourth Street lost everything overnight. Vandalism hit eateries just as hard. Small shops, even a tailor near the market, were ransacked later that week.

A close call struck Yemisi Adewale last Thursday, just before things turned dangerous at a marketplace near Braamfontein. Running a eatery in Johannesburg, she found herself stepping back right as trouble unfolded nearby.

“They have been harassing and terrorising us,” she said. “They are specifically targeting shops, supermarkets, malls, and other businesses owned by Nigerians and Ghanaians. Their aim is simply to loot and destroy our goods.”

From time to time, police could be seen walking through certain parts of town. Even so, those showing up with weapons kept right on moving.

“The police are there, but their presence has not stopped them. The protesters continue to loot and vandalise our shops right in front of them,” she said.

Running toward cover, she remembered those moments when traders scrambled during purchases. Safety came first, even if supplies were waiting. Goods meant survival, yet danger changed plans fast.

“I was almost attacked on Thursday at the town market. We all had to run, leaving our goods behind. They later looted and destroyed shops and merchandise,” she said.

For her, this chaos isn’t real dissent – it’s something else entirely.

“This is not a real protest. They are using it as a cover to steal and destroy our businesses,” she added. “For our safety, we have shut down our shops and business outlets.”

Families can’t earn enough since things went wrong, Adewale explained.

“This is taking a serious toll on us. Our businesses have been badly affected, and this is our only means of survival. If this continues, many of us may be forced out of business,” she said.

Folks in Nigeria stayed peaceful even when pushed hard.

“Nigerians here are law-abiding. We have avoided confrontation,” she said.

She said nobody from Nigeria got hurt when she talked. Yet a seller from Ghana took a severe beating, then flown out by officials from his country to get care.

“This Is Robbery, Not Protest”
A different trader from Nigeria, preferring to stay anonymous, mentioned the clashes seemed planned.

“They told us they wanted to protest, but what we are seeing is not protest. This is daylight robbery and looting,” she said.

Monday marked the start of the protests, she mentioned, lasting straight through to Thursday.

“I saw hundreds of them at the market. They were carrying sticks and clubs. They attacked foreigners with them. Once they identify you as a foreigner, they pounce on you and beat you,” she said.

Fear now runs through the business world, she says.

“We are living in fear. Nobody dares to open their shop. Before now, some people were opening partially, but the situation has escalated. We are scared for our lives,” she said.

Looters took goods from many stores run by foreigners, she said.

“Now no one can open for business,” she said.

A person doing business said people from Nigeria seem hit more than others. Though not confirmed, signs point in that direction.

“They are targeting Nigerians. They want to frustrate us out of business. We cannot even come out to make money now. Everyone is staying indoors. I don’t know why they are targeting us,” she said.

Informal Traders Suffer Most
Out in the open, those far from home speak up about unrest targeting street sellers first. Settlement dwellers feel blows deeper than most admit. Hardest hits land on makeshift market workers when chaos spreads.

Out there in the settlements, ABC Okokoh explained, tension runs high among street vendors. He leads Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s branch in South Africa. Speaking with Reportersroom, he pointed to crowded neighborhoods as flashpoints. Small business owners find themselves caught in the middle. Trouble tends to flare where daily trade thrives on tight margins.

“The people affected most are those staying in informal settlements,” he said. “It is affecting traders who depend on small businesses to survive. Many of them are black, and the question is why it is mostly them.”

South Africa sees unrest, though Okokoh points out it’s not across the whole country.

“Some areas are free. People like myself still go to work, but those in affected locations are staying indoors. It is not the whole of South Africa that is affected,” he said.

It was his claim that certain figures nearby were turning the event into a political tool, though he noted the national authorities seemed cautious, moving slow so things wouldn’t heat up further.

“The host communities are being used to score political points,” he said. “The government is also being careful not to trigger reactions that could worsen tensions.”

Still, Okokoh pointed out that no formal state directive exists aimed at dark-skinned outsiders. Yet he added it would go too far to call the current climate an outright wave of xenophobia.

He mentioned that the deaths of two Nigerians weren’t tied closely to the current protests. Though both events happened around the same time, one didn’t cause the other. Details suggest separate circumstances behind each loss. The timing alone made them appear linked at first glance. Yet deeper look shows distinct causes. Because of this, he stressed they should not be seen as part of the protest wave.

Yoruba Diaspora Group Reports No Protest Deaths So Far
Olusola Agbeniyi, who leads the Association of Yorubas in Diaspora in South Africa, mentioned nobody has yet been confirmed hurt during the protests. Though reports have circulated, proof remains absent on injuries tied directly to the events.

“As of today, there has not been any casualty. The killing of the two people is unconnected with this protest,” he said.

Folks saw fewer clashes once officers showed up, Agbeniyi noted. While tension still hung in the air, things stayed mostly calm after that.

“There is police presence at the demonstrations, and no one has been killed,” he said. “Activities are ongoing in other areas, but in the central locations where this is happening, people are staying indoors.”

Nigerian Government Waits for Talk Results
A statement from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission mentioned silence on an official update – though they did say concerns have reached ministers. While nothing new has been released, word is now sitting at a higher government tier.

Abdur-Rahman Balogun, who leads media, public relations, and protocols at the commission, said in a talk with Reportersroom that talks are underway. Not long after, he mentioned how Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, has started reaching out. Contact with officials in South Africa began recently through her efforts.

It was his claim that folks in Nigeria stayed tuned for what came out of the talks.