Xenophobic attacks: Inside details of how Nigerian businessman failed to secure appointment with Tinubu for S’African delegation

• Nigeria, S’Africa move to mend fences

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The last may not have been heard about the failed attempts by the special envoy of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa to secure an audience with President Bola Tinubu.

Inside sources within the diplomatic cycle told Daily Sun that someone in the private sector had assured the South African side of securing an appointment for the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, as special envoy to see President Tinubu.

Following the assurances, the delegation arrived Nigeria last Friday to see the President without going through the usual protocol, the involvement of the Nigerian Foreign Ministry, a move which later backfired as President Tinubu snubbed the delegation.

The special envoy was said to have arrived in Abuja at 1pm last Friday, only to return to South Africa at 5pm on the same day when he noticed that the arrangement was not tidy.

He later returned to Abuja on Monday at 10am, following assurances that the President would meet with the delegation.

“They came through processes outside the ministry because someone in the private sector arranged it. But when the president was intimated, he declined to see them.

“The meeting was scheduled, but the President declined and said they should see the minister.”

The source further said members of the South African delegation were very upset and at a point, threatened not to see the minister as directed by the president, insisting that it was the president they came to see.

The delegation which was later received by the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, the Nigerian High Commissioner-Designate to the Republic of South Africa, Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to our source, had also threatened that Nigeria has crossed the red line.

The source, however, said that during the meeting, the Nigerian side came hard on the South African delegation.

Issues raised during the meeting were the indiscriminate killing and arrest of Nigerians, South African government officials attacking Nigerians and labelling Nigerians as drug dealers and the threat of economic consequences.

The high commissioner designate, our source stated, particularly told the delegation that he won’t accept the situation as high commissioner and that with him in the saddle as high commissioner, Nigeria would have a very strong high commission and he would protect Nigerians.

Following the spate of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians, the Government of South Africa and Nigeria have agreed to nip the situation in the bud.

Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, in a statement, said Ambassador Enikanolaiye, on July 27, received Lamola, in Abuja to discuss recurring attacks on Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa.

Ebienfa said acting on President Tinubu’s directive, Ambassador Enikanolaiye expressed Nigeria’s deep concern over the continued violence, stating that, at least, 98 Nigerians had been killed since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related violence and extra-judicial killings.

He urged South Africa to strengthen protection for foreign nationals, ensure accountability for perpetrators and prevent future attacks.

The minister recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and stressed that criminal suspects should be prosecuted through due process rather than subjected to mob justice. Reflecting on the recent evacuation of 1,490 Nigerians from South Africa, he described the humanitarian impact as deeply distressing.

Lamola reaffirmed his government’s opposition to xenophobia, racism and violence while emphasising South Africa’s right to enforce its immigration laws. He also raised concerns about criminal activities involving some Nigerian nationals and called for greater bilateral cooperation to tackle organised crime.

Lamola informed the Nigerian delegation that arrests had been made in connection with recent attacks on Nigerians and that prosecutions were underway.

Following the interaction, Ebienfa disclosed that both countries agreed to de-escalate inflammatory rhetoric through diplomacy; strengthen security and migration cooperation; accelerate the implementation of the long-delayed early warning mechanism; prepare for the next Nigeria–South Africa Binational Commission meeting and preserve the longstanding strategic partnership and pan-African solidarity between both nations. He also said Enikanolaiye is expected to brief President Tinubu on the outcome of the discussions during the meeting.