SA plays hardball over Nigeria envoy

Foreign nationals during president Jacob Zuma's visit in Chatsworth PICTURE BONGANI MBATHA

Foreign nationals during president Jacob Zuma's visit in Chatsworth PICTURE BONGANI MBATHA

Published Apr 27, 2015

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Johannesburg - The South African government said on Sunday that Nigeria’s decision to recall its acting high commissioner – apparently in protest against some Nigerians’ being affected by xenophobic violence – was “unfortunate and regrettable”.

It said that no other country had taken such a step. 

The government also took a swipe at Nigeria, pointing out that it had never blamed the Nigerian government for the deaths of 84 South Africans in the collapse of a church building in Lagos last year. South Africa had also not blamed the Nigerian government for the delay of more than nine months in the repatriation of all the bodies.

It also noted that it did not blame the Nigerian government for the atrocities committed by the extremist Islamist group Boko Haram.

The government said the Nigerian delegation at the Asia-Africa summit in Indonesia did not raise the issue with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who was there.

Pretoria said it would raise its concerns with the new Nigerian administration of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari who defeated President Goodluck Jonathan in elections earlier this month.

This suggested that President Jacob Zuma’s government regarded the recall of the commissioner as an affront by Jonathan’s administration and that it was looking to the new administration to mend damaged relations.

The statement indicated that South Africa had not been given the reasons for the recall, noting that “a government resorts to such an extraordinary diplomatic step to express outrage at actions or behaviour of another government”.

“If this action is based on the incidents of attacks on foreign nationals in some parts of our country, it would be curious for a sisterly country to want to exploit such a painful episode for whatever agenda,” the statement said.

“The South African government, as well as all the political parties, religious organisations, non-governmental organisations, business, sports fraternities, including artists, musicians and ordinary people of South Africa, have been decisive and unequivocal in condemning and rejecting the attacks on foreign nationals.”

Foreign Bureau

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