Xenophobia: FG to evacuate 83 Nigerians from South Africa

The Federal Government has announced the evacuation of 83 Nigerians from South Africa amid renewed concerns over anti-foreigner sentiments and attacks against African migrants in the country.

 

The returnees are expected to arrive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, aboard a South African Airways flight.

 

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the returnees would depart the Oliver Tambo Airport in Johannesburg at 3:35 p.m. local time and arrive in Lagos at approximately 8:45 p.m.

 

The ministry said the latest evacuation was facilitated through the intervention and sponsorship of flight tickets by public-spirited private individuals.

 

The development comes after the conclusion of the Federal Government’s voluntary repatriation programme, which saw nearly 1,490 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa amid rising Afrophobic attacks and anti-foreigner sentiments.

 

“The Ministry wishes to note that this latest cohort of returnees is facilitated through the kind intervention and sponsorship of tickets by public-spirited private individuals, whose generosity the Federal Government acknowledges with profound gratitude,” the statement said.

 

The ministry said the government remained committed to protecting the welfare and dignity of Nigerians at home and abroad under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

 

It also called on the organised private sector, corporate organisations, state governments and other well-meaning Nigerians to support efforts to respond to consular emergencies.

 

The government said it would continue to strengthen strategic partnerships with South Africa to address the root causes of Afrophobia and prevent violence and discrimination against Nigerians.

 

It stressed that acts of violence and discrimination against Nigerians must be condemned, while perpetrators should be held accountable.

 

Meanwhile, South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country.

 

The group made the declaration during a protest in Durban on Tuesday, held under the theme of urging African leaders attending the 46th Southern African Development Community Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.

 

March and March had previously organised nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher action against undocumented foreigners.

 

The group said it would continue its campaign until the South African government addressed its immigration demands.

 

“We are announcing the second wave of the 30 June National Day of Action and calling on the heads of state to prepare for the massive deportation of all illegal foreigners from South Africa by 30 September, which will be the mother of all protests,” the group said, according to BBC News Pidgin.

 

The 46th SADC Summit is being held in Durban, with leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states in attendance.

 

The renewed protests have intensified debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, with President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemning discrimination and violence against people from other African countries.

 

“We are deeply ashamed that people from other countries have suffered ill-treatment and that others have been forced to leave the country because of threats of violence,” Ramaphosa said.

 

“We cannot preach integration at a summit like this and practise exclusion on the streets of our countries,” he added.

 

The latest protest comes amid continuing concerns over the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa and efforts by affected countries to protect and evacuate their citizens.