President Muhammadu Buhari has noted with deep concern, reported attacks on Nigerian citizens and property in South Africa since August 29, 2019.
Consequently, the President has instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, to summon the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria and get a brief on the situation; express Nigeria’s displeasure over the treatment of her citizens; and assurance of the safety of their lives and property.
President Buhari has also despatched a Special Envoy to convey to President Cyril Ramaphosa his concerns and also interact with his South African counterpart on the situation.
The Special Envoy is expected to arrive in Pretoria latest Thursday, September 5, Meanwhile, the South African Deputy President David Mabuza has spoken on the increasing destruction of public and private property, which has taken place in recent days.
According to that country’s News Agency, the Deputy President earlier on Tuesday chaired the inaugural meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Service Delivery at District Level at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.
The first meeting took place against the background of sporadic incidents of violent protests, looting, burning of shops and trucks and other acts of criminality across the country, particularly in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
“Our State cannot be tested to that extreme. Such unbecoming behaviour cannot become a normal phenomenon. All organs of the State and spheres of government must work together to provide collaborative solutions,” said the Deputy President.
The Deputy President also strongly condemned acts of violence, destruction of property and targeting of foreign nationals in Gauteng and the burning of trucks in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
“We are a nation founded on the values of Ubuntu, as espoused by our founding father, President Nelson Mandela, who taught us the virtue of our common humanity and that we should always resist the temptation of being overwhelmed by hatred,” he said.
