Chidimma Adesthina, a South African of Nigerian descent, was forced to withdraw from the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant following a controversial investigation into her citizenship by the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs. The antagonism from South Africans was massive as they questioned her nationality and qualification to enter the competition simply because her father and mother are of Nigerian and Mozambican descent respectively. They argued that her participation undermined their national identity and the purpose of the pageant.
The Ministry of Home Affairs accused Chidimma’s mother of identity theft. Its Minister, Leon Schreiber, sought support for the stance of “#TeamHomeAffairs” in its “quest to restore law and order by upholding the rule of law.”
Fearing for her safety and that of her family, Chidimma left the xenophobic enclave into the warm embrace of Nigeria where she was registered and won the Miss Nigeria pageant.
Despite this, South Africans are bailing for her blood, calling for the revocation of her citizenship and possible imprisonment.
This is not the first time they are showing open hatred for Nigerians. It had been taken to an extreme level before as they carried placards demanding that foreigners, especially Nigerians, leave their country, claiming that they were taking away their jobs and women and committing crimes such as drugs and illegal trafficking. On the simplest excuses, Nigerians and their property are attacked. Even routine football competitions evoke friction.
Between 2019 and February, 2022, 128 Nigerians were killed in South Africa. In May, this year, when six Nigerians were killed, South Africans rejoiced, with one Justice Plank @MxolisiPlank posting on X: “Well done to the person who did this beautiful act; please bless us with these six every day for the rest of the year.”
Over the years, South Africans have made attacks on Nigerians a frequent occurrence as they live under veiled threats and negative profiling of the estimated 24,000 Nigerians living in their country.
Both nations have made futile attempts to bring sanity to their relations. Following the wave of xenophobic killings and destruction in November, 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Nigeria during his West African tour. Both Ramaphosa and then President Muhammadu Buhari attended the 10th Session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission in an effort to warm up the lull in bilateral and people-to-people relations.
But despite the diplomatic postures, the open hatred against Nigeria and Nigerians festers. Yet, this is a country and citizens Nigeria and Nigerians sacrificed for. Nigeria was one of the foremost supporters of the anti-apartheid movements, especially that of the African National Congress (ANC). According to the South African Institute of International Affairs, from 1960 to 1965, Nigeria alone spent over $61bn to support the anti-apartheid struggle. In 1976, Nigeria set up the South Africa Relief Fund (SARF) in which it contributed $3.7m. Called the “Mandela Tax”, President Olusegun Obasanjo made a personal contribution of $3,000 while each member of his cabinet contributed $1,500. All Nigerian civil servants and public officers made a 2 per cent donation each to SARF from their salaries to sustain the struggle. Even students skipped their lunch to make donations, and by June, 1977, the fund reached $10.5m.
Following the massacre of 700 South African students by the apartheid police during a protest, through the fund, the first group of 86 students arrived in Nigeria in 1976 and enjoyed free education. A Nigerian musician, late Sonny Okosuns, wrote the hit song, “Fire in Soweto”, in 1977 to commemorate the 1976 Soweto Uprising against apartheid in South Africa.
Nigeria also welcomed many renowned South Africans, including former President Thabo Mbeki who spent seven years in the country (1977-1984) before he left for the ANC headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia.
Even as at today, Nigeria is a good land for South African companies, including MTN, Shoprite, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Multichoice, Protea Hotels by Marriott, South African Airways and Rand Merchant Bank. And there are a few Nigerian companies in South Africa.
So, we urge South Africa to acknowledge that xenophobic attacks have been a major drawback in its relations with African countries as it has done little to prevent the targeted attacks on the lives and property of immigrants, especially Nigerians.
We also demand that outside apologising to Nigeria and Nigerians, it must engage its citizens, especially its young population, in open, frank, constructive and continuous conversations on the evils of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans.
We equally urge both regional power houses to stop the hegemonic rivalry. South Africa should realise that its leadership role in Africa is dimmed because of its xenophobia. It is time to stop this campaign of hatred and live up to its claim to being a rainbow nation. It should discard the old bigotry of apartheid and refuse to weaponise it against other Africans, especially Nigerians.
•Daily Trust Editorial
