FG summons South African High Commissioner over xenophobic attacks

Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The Federal Government has summoned the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Bobby Moroe, over xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Moroe and an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the development to Daily Sun in Abuja.

The meeting, Moroe and the official said, was billed to commence at 11 am.

The summon is coming on the heels of the Republic of South Africa’s condemnation of a series of attacks on Nigerians in various parts of South Africa.

The condemnation by the South African Government is also sequel to the declaration by the Nigerian Government on Monday that “enough is enough” with the killings in South Africa.

The condemnation was contained in a statement by the Acting Director-General, Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), South Africa, Phumla Williams.

The statement was also reiterated by Moroe in an audio statement made available to Daily Sun in Abuja.

“Government calls for calm and restraint in certain parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, as community members raise their concerns and grievances about various issues affecting them. No amount of grievance or unhappiness can justify the looting of shops, destruction of properties and illegal blocking of roads. Such acts constitute a criminal offence and the law enforcement agencies must respond without any fear or favour,” the South African Government said.

The government further said, as a democratic state, South Africa promotes robust dialogue and engagement with dissatisfied communities within its borders.

“As government, we will not allow anarchy and violence to be the order of the day. We commend the quick response of the South African Police Services (SAPS) which has resulted in the arrest of a number of individuals.

“With regard to the attacks on trucks, 20 individuals have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal after responding to incidents along major routes and known hotspots in the province. These arrests relate to public violence and obstruction of traffic, possession of unlicensed firearms, attempted murder and malicious damage to property.

“In Gauteng, following the violence and looting of shops in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and the Johannesburg CBD, seventy (70) arrests have been made in connection with public violence, malicious damage to property and theft,” it added.

The South African Government further said the police will continue their work to restore order in the affected areas.

It further urged all the law-abiding citizens to continue to work with the police and isolate the criminals.

“Let us remain vigilant against fake news that are being peddled through the social media platforms to fuel tensions within the respective communities. Anyone found to be spreading the fake stories on social media will be dealt with accordingly.We cannot allow those who want to portray our country in a bad light to succeed.

“Government urges all members of the community to work together with the law enforcement agencies. Community members can report any criminal activities they have witnessed to the police using the 10111 emergency number,” the South African Government also said.