International Relations and
Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor on Sunday expressed concern about statements
said to emanate from a student organisation in Nigeria, calling for the
expulsion of South Africans and protests at South African-owned businesses.
"The protests are said
to be in response to alleged killings of Nigerians by South Africans. As you
are aware, these allegations are devoid of truth, reckless, and
unwarranted," Pandor told journalists at a briefing in Pretoria.
These statements were most
unfortunate, as they did not reflect the existing strong relations between the
people and the government of South Africa and Nigeria. The two countries
enjoyed strong bilateral relations, which were forged over many years during
the struggle for liberation in South Africa and in this democratic era, fully
supported by the people and government of Nigeria, she said.
Acting High Commissioner to
Nigeria Bobby Moroe had had several meetings with the police and other senior
government officials in Nigeria.
"We have also had
contact from the highest level of the Nigerian government; we have been assured
that authorities in Nigeria are taking these calls for protests seriously. They
have also assured us that South African citizens and their property in Nigeria
will be protected," Pandor said.
South Africa valued the
strong ties it had established with Nigeria and would continue to enhance these
even further.
The statements referred to
appeared to result from the unfortunate death of Elizabeth Ndubuisi-Chukwu, the
deputy director general of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, in
June 2019. The South African Police Service was still investigating the
incident, she said.
"We believe no one
should abuse this unfortunate tragedy to generate negative sentiments about
South Africa and we express our condolences to Mrs Ndubuisi-Chukwu's family,
friends, and the people of Nigeria."
Pandor repeated statements
made by Police Minister Bheki Cele when addressing the diplomatic corps early
this year. Firstly, there was no targeting of any group of Africans in South
Africa. Secondly, the law enforcement agencies were making every effort to
fight crime and arrest all criminals.
It was worth mentioning
that, daily, Nigerian nationals travelled to South Africa for a multiplicity of
reasons ranging from business, tourism, and academic purposes.
Similarly, South Africans
had chosen Nigeria as their preferred destination for investment and other
activities of interest. Nigeria was home to about 120 South African companies,
including MTN, Shoprite, Multichoice, South African Airways, and Game, she
said.
All these companies had
over the years contributed towards job creation and social responsibility
programmes for Nigerian nationals, both young and old.
"We are, therefore,
very pleased that our strong relations were able to place South African
business on a firm footing in Nigeria, and also paved the way for further
investments by Nigerian business in South Africa.
"I am hoping that with
the support of our High Commission in Nigeria we will be able to invite to
South Africa some of the leaders of student organisations, leading the calls
for protests against South African businesses in Nigeria.
"I will also ask my
colleague, the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of our
Parliament [Amos Masondo] to invite his counterpart, the Senate President of
Nigeria and a delegation to visit South Africa to see for themselves that many
Nigerians live in peace and harmony among South Africans.
"We would also ensure
that a delegation of members of the executive visit Nigeria to further
strengthen our relations. I hope their visit will help them to develop a
different view from that which they have about South Africa," Pandor said.
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