Rising anti-foreigner protests across parts of South Africa have pushed many Nigerians into fear and uncertainty, prompting fresh efforts by Nigerian officials to support those who wish to return home.
The Nigerian mission in South Africa, working with the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), has announced a free evacuation flight for Nigerians prepared to relocate permanently. NICASA President, Frank Onyekwelu, said several people had already shown interest, as business closures and safety concerns grow among the community.
Demonstrations targeting foreign nationals have been reported in cities including Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, East London and areas of KwaZulu-Natal. Protesters have been accused of intimidating traders, looting foreign-owned shops and damaging property under the guise of addressing unemployment and undocumented migration.
Groups such as Operation Dudula have been linked to some of the street actions calling for the removal of migrants from local communities.
The unrest has led the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to advise Nigerian business owners to temporarily shut down operations in affected locations to limit losses and avoid confrontation.
The Nigerian Consulate General in Johannesburg confirmed that two Nigerians, Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew, died in separate incidents that authorities are investigating. Consul-General Ninikanwa Okey-Uche said Emmanuel reportedly sustained fatal injuries after an encounter with members of the South African National Defence Force, while Andrew’s body was later found in Pretoria after he had been detained by municipal police officers.
Videos circulating online show groups of protesters confronting foreign traders, telling them to leave with their families. In one clip, a Nigerian shop owner was ordered to shut down his business and return home despite explaining that he had lived and worked in the country for years.
An Ethiopian national was also reportedly shot dead in central Johannesburg in what appeared to be a targeted attack, heightening anxiety among African migrants in the city. No arrests had been announced at the time of reporting.
The South African Police Service has condemned intimidation and said such conduct violates the country’s constitutional values, but affected traders say the presence of officers has not fully stopped looting in some areas.
Several Nigerian business owners described heavy financial losses after shutting their shops. A restaurant operator in Braamfontein said traders now avoid markets entirely after narrowly escaping an attack. Others said hundreds of foreign-owned outlets had been ransacked, leaving many without income.
Diaspora leaders, however, offered a more nuanced view. ABC Okokoh, head of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in South Africa, said the situation is concentrated in informal settlements where small-scale traders live and operate. He noted that daily activities continue in other parts of the country and cautioned against describing the unrest as a nationwide campaign.
Similarly, Olusola Agbeniyi of the Association of Yorubas in Diaspora in South Africa said there had been no confirmed deaths directly linked to the protests themselves, adding that security operatives were monitoring flashpoints.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is said to be engaging South African authorities over the situation. Officials of the diaspora commission confirmed that discussions had been elevated to ministerial level as Nigerians in the country await further updates.
For many affected traders, however, the immediate concern remains personal safety and the survival of their livelihoods, with some now weighing the difficult decision of leaving South Africa after years of building businesses there.
