Ghanaians in SA panic over xenophobic attacks – Ayorkor Botchwey

On Thursday, protesters in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja, responding to the string of xenophobic incidents in South Africa, attempted to storm the office of South African mobile phone company MTN.

The main group behind the Pretoria protests, Mamelodi Concerned Residents, has blamed foreign nationals for taking jobs and accused them of being involved in prostitution rings and drug cartels, accusations denied by immigrant communities.

This week, reports emerged of a Nigerian church set on fire and the looting of Nigerian shops and homes in Pretoria West.

“How can you say you are investing in Nigeria and letting your people burn and loot our businesses in your country, harm our people and display anti foreigner sentiments by confirming it with an ignorant March?” she said, referring to the anti-foreigner march held in Pretoria on 24 Ferbuary.

“I call upon Ghanaians to join forces with other African nationalities being butchered in South Africa to also retaliate by destroying South African companies in their respective countries”, said Antwi.

“Residents in some communities blame non-nationals for the escalating crimes especially drug trafficking”, the presidency said in a statement on Friday.

The Nigerian government has called on the African Union and the South African government to take decisive and definitive measures to protect Nigerian citizens and other Africans within South African borders.

She said no Ghanaian business had also been so far attacked and all were intact; and the South African Ministry of Internal Affairs, with which the Ministry interacted had also given assurance that Ghanaian nationals would be saved.

Earlier in the week, a group of protesters turned violent, torching houses and shops belonging to foreigners, South African media reported.

Zuma says whether South Africans are xenophobic or not is up for debate but that he doubts South Africans are xenophobic.

Resentment of migrants has been simmering for years in many of South Africa’s poorest settlements.

THE South African government yesterday warned of strong action against its nationals who might take advantage of a demonstration planned in Pretoria against foreigners today, to commit crime.

Should Nigerians continue with the retaliative attack on South African businesses? He’s now South Africa’s Deputy President and most likely going to succeed Jacob Zuma.

Citizens of South Africa have organised what they dub as Foreign March because they believe the foreigners are responsible for criminal activities in the country.

The attacks is not just about the two countries, but the future of Africa as a continent.

Some members of staff of the organisation and customers were said to have been attacked, while valuables were reportedly stolen. The foreign nationals are facing the same hostility as 2008 and 2015, however, this time around there are allegations that other foreign nationals are planning to fight back, something which has been widely condemned.