Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has warned that rising xenophobic hostility against Nigerians and other African nationals threatens the spirit of African solidarity that contributed to the country’s liberation from apartheid.
Fani-Kayode called on South Africans to embrace Pan-Africanism, mutual respect and cooperation, stressing that the struggle against apartheid was not fought by black South Africans alone but received significant support from Nigeria and other African countries.
The envoy made the remarks at the inaugural Nigerian Fair held at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, where he recalled Nigeria’s estimated $61 billion contribution to South Africa’s liberation struggle.
He maintained that the sacrifices made by Nigeria and other African nations should not be forgotten or undermined by the growing hostility towards fellow Africans living in South Africa.
“It wasn’t a black South African struggle. It was a struggle that every nation in Africa, led primarily by the frontline states and Nigeria, and every decent civilised nation in the world supported,” he said.
Recounting Nigeria’s contributions, Fani-Kayode explained that the country mobilised citizens from different walks of life, including civil servants, students and schoolchildren, to provide financial support for the anti-apartheid campaign.
He particularly highlighted the establishment of the Southern Africa Relief Fund in 1976, popularly known as the Mandela Tax, through which Nigerian civil servants voluntarily surrendered portions of their salaries to support the African National Congress (ANC) and other liberation activities.
According to him, Nigerian schoolchildren also contributed their lunch money towards the struggle, demonstrating the country’s widespread commitment to ending racial segregation and minority rule in South Africa.
He further noted that Nigeria provided diplomatic, financial and material assistance to liberation movements, offered educational opportunities to South Africans and consistently campaigned against apartheid at the United Nations and other international platforms.
The Nigerian envoy described attacks against African migrants as a retrogressive development that contradicts the principles of unity and solidarity upon which the continent’s liberation movements were built.
“We must understand that the world is coming together as one, and we must stand together as one,” he said.
Fani-Kayode attributed the attacks to a minority driven by Afrophobia and xenophobic sentiments, arguing that such individuals had lost sight of the historical relationship between South Africa and other African countries.
He urged South Africans to recognise that the rest of the continent also had a stake in their country’s freedom, progress and development, while calling for stronger bridges of friendship and mutual respect.
The former Minister of Aviation also appealed to Nigerians living in South Africa not to respond to provocations with retaliation, insisting that restraint and responsible leadership were necessary even when citizens were offended, intimidated or killed.
However, he acknowledged growing frustration within the Nigerian government over the treatment of its citizens, warning that patience was wearing thin in the corridors of power.
Despite the diplomatic tensions and calls by some Nigerians for a complete breakdown of relations, Fani-Kayode ruled out severing economic ties with South Africa, stressing that both countries must continue to pursue cooperation in their mutual interests.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to its leadership role in Africa and pledged that the government would continue to promote continental unity while taking necessary steps to protect Nigerians living in South Africa.
Nigeria played a significant role in the international campaign against apartheid, the system of institutionalised racial segregation and white minority rule that existed in South Africa until 1994.
Following the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, during which South African security forces killed 69 people protesting against apartheid pass laws, Nigeria intensified its opposition to the regime and became one of the prominent supporters of the liberation movements.
Through the Southern Africa Relief Fund, established in 1976, Nigerian workers, students, schoolchildren and ordinary citizens contributed financially to support the struggle.
The country also provided scholarships to South Africans, supported liberation organisations, assisted frontline states and backed international efforts to isolate the apartheid government diplomatically and economically.
Apartheid formally ended following South Africa’s historic 1994 democratic elections, which brought Nelson Mandela to power as the country’s first black president after decades of resistance and international pressure.
However, more than three decades after the end of apartheid, recurring xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals continue to raise concerns about African solidarity, peaceful coexistence and the protection of migrants across the continent.
