The Nigerian government has launched an emergency evacuation of its nationals from South Africa, sources confirm, as a wave of xenophobic violence sweeps through the country. The move, announced late Tuesday, comes after at least 12 people were killed in clashes targeting foreign-owned businesses in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Eyewitnesses describe mobs armed with machetes and petrol bombs, looting shops and setting homes alight.
The attacks, fuelled by rising unemployment and inequality, have exposed a deep fault line within the Commonwealth. Nigeria's foreign ministry confirmed that chartered flights would bring an estimated 600 citizens home, with more to follow. This is not an isolated incident.
Similar purges occurred in 2008 and 2015, and each time the South African government promised justice. It never came. Now, the African Union has called for an emergency session, but insiders say the real panic is in London.
The British High Commission has been monitoring the situation closely. A leaked diplomatic cable, obtained by this bureau, reveals concerns that the violence could unravel fragile trade agreements. The Commonwealth, already reeling from Brexit and internal divisions on climate change, cannot afford a full-blown crisis in its southern tip.
But that is exactly what it faces. The question is: who benefits? Follow the money.
South Africa's economy has been stagnant for a decade. Politicians like to blame immigrants for stealing jobs, even though official statistics show they contribute more in taxes than they consume in services. The real culprits are the oligarchs who have looted state funds and the corporations that avoid tax.
But xenophobia sells newspapers and wins votes. Meanwhile, the Nigerian government, no stranger to corruption itself, has been quick to condemn the attacks. But its own record on protecting minorities is hardly spotless.
The evacuation is a PR move, a way to distract from its own failures at home. The international community must act now, not with statements but with sanctions on those inciting hatred. If the Commonwealth cannot protect its citizens from state-sponsored thuggery, what is it worth?
Broken bodies and charred ruins. That is the legacy of complacency.
