South Africa has rejected the description of the country as xenophobic, as Nigeria raised concerns over inflammatory rhetoric and recurring violence against African migrants, warning that the tensions could undermine relations between the two countries and the wider Pan-African project.
Read also: I was born here;, Beauty queen Chidinma Adetshina decries xenophobia in South Africa deportation row
The issue was discussed at a Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) roundtable in Lagos on Tuesday titled “South Africa’s ‘Xenophobia’ in Comparative Perspective”, which brought together officials and scholars to examine the causes of anti-migrant violence in South Africa.
Olusola Enikanolaiye, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said Nigeria recognised South Africa’s right to manage migration but rejected attempts to blame migrants for the country’s economic and institutional problems.
“Nigerians did not create unemployment. Migrants did not design dysfunctional municipal systems. Migrants did not create corruption or institutional weaknesses,” Enikanolaiye said.
