By Nkiruka Nnorom
South Africa’s Consul-General in Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, has said interest in his country remained high, with visa applications from Nigerians almost doubling in recent months, despite the persistent reports of xenophobic attacks.
Moroe stated this in an interview on Nigeria Info FM on Sunday, insisting that South Africa remained safe and opened for tourism, business and other forms of travel.
The reassurance came amid renewed concerns over xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where Nigerians and other African migrants have in recent months been targeted in pockets of violence across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Western Cape.
The attacks, often fuelled by claims of job competition and criminality, led to looting of shops owned by foreigners, assaults and forced displacements, sparking outrage in Nigeria and across the continent.
