I had a profound feeling of déjà vu as I watched on television in Lagos as SA mobs looted shops owned by Nigerians and other Africans.
We have been here before.
In March 2017 SA vigilantes burnt and looted scores of homes and businesses belonging to Nigerians in Rosettenville, Mamelodi and Atteridgeville, which they alleged were drug dens and brothels.
Having lived in SA for 16 years, one my biggest frustrations is the failure of so many of its citizens to embrace an African identity, and of the government to attract more skilled Africans to its shores to create an “America in Africa”. The genius of the US has been its ability to attract the best and brightest from the rest of the world, trained at huge expense by these countries. Yet SA has lacked the vision over the past two and a half decades to convert its advantage as Africa’s most industrialised country to the development of its economy and society.
The flames of these xenophobic attacks have been fanned by prejudiced politicians, from mayor Herman Mashaba complaining that foreigners were “messing up Johannesburg” to usually sensible Gauteng premier David Makhura, who recently joined in the “dog-whistle” populism of linking foreigners to crime. The demonisation and dehumanisation of migrants by politicians makes it easier for self-hating pyromaniacal mobs to attack them. Scapegoating foreigners also takes away attention from the failings of these politicians.
LISTEN | What Police Minister General Bheki Cele plans to do about violent looting in Gauteng
SA reactions to xenophobic attacks have often involved blaming invisible “third forces” and “fifth columnists” to explain away the brutality, or hiding behind phrases such as “black-on-black violence”, as if this is in itself some kind of insightful revelation. Others have tried to portray these attacks as poor people killing other poor people. Yet xenophobia is widespread across SA, from politics to business to academia. The frequent attacks on fellow Africans in SA — including maiming and burning people alive — seem to represent an area of SA “exceptionalism” on the continent.
The most recent attacks in Tembisa, Alexandria, Hillbrow, Cleveland, Jeppestown, Malvern, Germiston and the Johannesburg and Tshwane central business districts resulted in eight deaths, scores of injured and hundreds of foreign-owned shops burnt and looted. Nigeria has demanded compensation for the damaged property, and cancelled its participation at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town. Abuja also accused the SA police of turning a blind eye to some of these attacks, while noting the failure of the criminal justice system to convict perpetrators of xenophobic attacks.
Ordinary Nigerians reacted to the recurring attacks on their citizens with seething anger. Social media has been abuzz with disinformation and fake news, inflaming passions on both sides. Nigerian mobs also attacked SA businesses in Nigeria, including Shoprite, Pep Stores and MTN, forcing some of these businesses to temporarily shut down their operations. SAA staff felt the need to use heavy security to transport their flight attendants to the airport in Lagos.
About 50,000 Nigerians visit SA each year, while more than 120 SA businesses operate in Nigeria. Bilateral trade was worth $4.5bn in 2019. Both sides thus have much to lose if the bilateral relationship continues to deteriorate. Visa issues remain a major bone of contention. Despite the binational commission between the two countries having been elevated from vice-presidential to presidential level, it has yet to meet, and neither president attended the other’s presidential inauguration.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s planned — but not confirmed — visit to SA in October provides an early opportunity to “reset” this relationship. Four recommendations are critical for success.
First, Abuja and Tshwane must immediately revive the binational commission and ensure that regular meetings occur. Second, the early-warning and mediation systems agreed after the 2017 attacks must be urgently established. Third, “track-two” initiatives involving both countries’ civil society and business sectors must work with the two governments to improve people-to-people relationships.
Finally, SA politicians must show genuine leadership in promoting grassroots anti-xenophobic movements in local communities, and educate their population on the contributions Nigeria and other African countries made to SA’s liberation.
• Prof Adebajo is director of the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation.
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