•Thabile Sibeko
A South African woman, Thabile Sibeko, has confessed about the hatred she and her compatriots have for Nigerians.
Nigerians have been badly affected in the fresh wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in the country, reports Daily Trust.
As Nigerians were being evacuated from the country, Sibeko who identified herself as the president of Inizwe Nathi Party, told newsmen that she was excited that fellow Africans were leaving.
In a video posted by News Central, the woman said, “I’m here to bid farewell to Nigeria, to make sure that they are leaving our country and to say to them bye-bye, Nigeria. Thank you for all you contributed to our country.
“We did not appreciate the wrongs that you have done, and we hope that you have learned a lesson, and we want to encourage them when they go to other countries, they must take care of other countries.
“Today we’ve got zombies in our streets as our children because of them, and that has cut deep in our hearts and that has made us to resent them with all that we have and we hope that they take a journey safe next time they come they know South Africa loves its people and its country.
“Nigeria is horrible, these people are horrible. They’ve killed our children with drugs, and that is the reason why we are so strong on Nigeria because of their behaviour.”
Meanwhile, the first batch of Nigerians evacuated from the country arrived in Lagos, yesterday.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, who welcomed them back home, said, “No Nigerian should live in fear simply because of their nationality.”
He added that the evacuation of the 258 nationals demonstrated Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare and safety of Nigerians abroad.
The nationals were escorted by officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa, led by the Acting High Commissioner, Ambassador Temitope Alexander Ajayi.
Addressing the returnees, Enikanolaiye said the government would not tolerate subjecting Nigerians to attacks and harassment wherever they might be.
The ambassador commended effective coordination of the process by the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria.
He urged all Nigerians in South Africa to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and report any threats to the Nigerian mission.
“The federal government remains fully engaged with the South African authorities at the highest levels to ensure protection of Nigerian nationals and to address the root causes of these unfortunate incidents,” he said.
“This exercise underscores the government’s proactive and decisive response to protect Nigerians’ lives and dignity in the face of violence and intolerance.”
“More flights carrying returnees are expected to arrive in the country in the coming days as the evacuation exercise continues,” he said.
According to him, the returning nationals are currently undergoing the process of documentation, profiling and necessary medical checks.
He said that they would be provided with temporary accommodation before reuniting them with their families.
