- authorities in South Africa have said enforcement actions against undocumented migrants will continue
- However, persistent unemployment, estimated at over 30 percent, has fuelled recurring waves of xenophobic sentiment
The Federal Government has begun arrangements to evacuate more than 1,000 Nigerian nationals from South Africa amid growing concerns over renewed xenophobic hostility and anti-immigrant protests in the country.
Eko Hot Blog reports that officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria confirmed on Friday that a voluntary repatriation screening exercise started on Thursday, with expectations that the number of applicants could surpass 1,000.
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A spokesperson for the ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told AFP that the registration process was still ongoing and the final tally had not been confirmed, but early indications pointed to a figure above the 1,000 mark. He simply noted, “Total figure not out yet… we are expecting over 1,000 persons.”
The development comes shortly after similar evacuation efforts by Ghana, which recently facilitated the return of hundreds of its citizens from South Africa following rising tension and incidents targeting foreign nationals.
In a related statement, Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria said it had reached agreements with South African authorities to grant waivers for migrants with immigration-related violations, allowing them to leave voluntarily on repatriation flights instead of facing detention.
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy until recently, continues to attract large numbers of migrant workers from across Africa.
However, persistent unemployment, estimated at over 30 percent, has fuelled recurring waves of xenophobic sentiment and sporadic outbreaks of violence against foreigners.
The latest surge in tension has reignited wider continental concerns about migration safety, xenophobia, and the growing gap between regional integration ideals and realities on the ground.
Reports also indicate that a local pressure group has issued an ultimatum demanding the removal of undocumented migrants by June 30, raising fears of possible fresh unrest, given the history of deadly anti-immigrant attacks in previous years.
Meanwhile, authorities in South Africa have said enforcement actions against undocumented migrants will continue, but have urged citizens to avoid taking the law into their own hands.
According to national statistics, more than three million foreign nationals currently reside in South Africa, representing about 5.1 percent of the population, with the majority coming from countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
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