S/Africa's High Commissioner contradicts his President

The continuous violence that broke out in suburbs south of Johannesburg’s city center on Sunday, first day of September , 2019, has spread to the central business district on Monday, which  saw the destruction of more than 50 mainly foreign-owned shops and business premises.

These attacks come ahead of the beginning of the African edition of the World Economic Forum in Cape Town on Sept. 4 and before a state visit to South Africa by President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, a country whose nationals have been affected, next month.

“The continuing attacks on Nigerian nationals and businesses in South Africa are unacceptable,” the government of Nigeria said on Twitter. “Enough is enough. Nigeria will take definitive measures to ensure safety and protection of her citizens.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, today,  called for the arrest of those involved in a spate of attacks targeting foreign-owned businesses in the country.

Ramaphosa said in a statement that he had convened a security meeting with law enforcement agencies to stop the violence.
He said there was no justification for the attacks and warned that violence on foreign businesses could trigger xenophobic attacks against South Africans living abroad.
"The attacks on people who run businesses from foreign nationals is totally unacceptable," Ramaphosa said.
"There can be no justification whatsoever about what people are having a grievance over that they should go out and attack people from other countries because when they do so here, they should also know that fellow South Africans will be attacked in other countries," the President said.

Contrary to his President, the High Commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, Bobby Monroe, has denied reports of xenophobic attacks in his country.
Monroe, who made the comments at a press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, during a broadcast on Channels Television in Abuja on Tuesday, denied that the attacks in South Africa were xenophobic and targeted at Nigerians.
 
The South African envoy described the attacks as “sporadic acts of violence,” adding that businesses belonging to other South Africans were also affected in the violence.

The Federal Government had earlier on Monday summoned South Africa over the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
Onyeama summoned the Monroe after the latest xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The violence echoes sporadic outbreaks of attacks mainly targeting migrants from other African countries in some of South Africa’s poorest areas. In 2008 about 60 people were killed and over 50,000 forced from their homes and in 2015 seven people died in violence. Migrants are seen as competition for scarce jobs and government services.

Other Nigerian politicians, including former presidential election candidate Oby Ezekwesili called for stronger intervention by the government

Dear President @MBuhari and @NigeriaGov , it is time to take decisive actions to protect our Citizens in South Africa. The maiming and killings have gone on for too long without effective response. The bilateral relations with South Africa is troubled. It is time to be CANDID.

— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) September 2, 2019

Zambia warned its truck drivers, many of whom drive goods south to the South African port of Durban, to stay out of the country.

South African politicians condemned the violence, in which one person was shot dead, according to eNCA, a local television station. At least 41 people were arrested.

Still, politicians from the ruling African National Congress have in the past made anti-immigrant comments and Johannesburg’s mayor, Herman Mashaba, has attracted criticism from human rights groups for his frequent attacks on undocumented migrants. Mashaba is a member of the opposition Democratic Alliance. 6
The violence is “unacceptable,” Ace Magashule, the secretary-general of the ANC, said in remarks broadcast on television.
“We condemn this violence which is taking place, irrespective of whatever reasons people want to give,” he said.