Johannesburg: The recurring headline, ‘Another Nigerian Killed in South Africa’, has become a staple of both local and international news bulletins. Most of these deaths result from xenophobic attacks, allegations of crime or drug dealing, and excessive use of force by the law enforcement agencies. There are also reports of Nigerians killing Nigerians due to criminal, cult, and gang rivalries, as well as business and personal disputes.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, available data from the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA) and the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) indicates that between 2000 and 2020, more than 127 Nigerians were killed in South Africa. Latest reports indicate that these killings continued in the subsequent years. On Nov. 9, 2025, Mr. Chikamnene Eddie Mmuonagorom, an indigene of Anambra, was stabbed to death in his home in Floville, Kimberley. On Feb. 8, Emeka Uzor, an indigene of Enugu State, was shot dead while in his vehicle at a Caltex filling station in Windsor East, Randburg, Johannesburg. Most recently, on Feb. 11, Isaac Satlat, an indigene of Plateau, who was an e-hailing driver, was strangled to death in Pretoria by passengers who requested a ride via the Bolt app.
In the aftermath of each incident, statements and condemnations are issued, and diplomatic engagements are initiated, oftentimes inconclusively. Then, another incident occurs. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has consistently flayed the recurring menace. NIDCOM Chief Executive Officer, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement by the commission’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, described the incidents as disturbing and urged South African authorities to ensure justice was served. She also called for improved protection of Nigerians and other non-indigenes residing in the country.
Dabiri-Erewa emphasized that Nigeria and South Africa shared longstanding ties and expressed concern over recurring violent crimes against Nigerians. In a similar vein, NUSA described the killings as ‘senseless acts of violence’ and urged the South African Police Service to ensure that those responsible were promptly and fully prosecuted. NICASA President, Mr. Frank Onyekwelu, condemned the killings in the strongest terms, adding that no individual or group had the right to take the law into their hands or deprive another person of life. He urged members of the Nigerian community in South Africa to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding as engagements continued with the Nigerian Consulate, South African authorities, and human rights institutions.
While South African authorities often make arrests, the issues of diligent prosecution and conviction are not always clearly addressed. It is worth noting that three of the accused-Dikeledi Mphela, Gotseone Machidi, and McClaren Mushwana-are appearing before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court in connection with the murder of Isaac Satlat. In retrospect, Nigeria-South Africa relations date back to 1960, with Nigeria positioned in the vanguard of the anti-apartheid and liberation struggles.
The President of Africa Development Study Centre (ADSC), Victor Oluwafemi, emphasized the need for the Federal Government to summon South Africa’s High Commissioner to Nigeria over recurrent attacks on Nigerians in the country. He recommended a formal engagement for clear assurances regarding the safety of Nigerian nationals in South Africa, asserting that the safety of Nigerian citizens abroad was not a diplomatic courtesy but a sovereign obligation.
Julius Malema, South African opposition leader and founder of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), denounced the killings and xenophobic attacks, applauding Nigeria’s contributions to South Africa’s freedom. He described xenophobia as ‘a betrayal of African unity’. Malema spoke recently at the opening of the 2025 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, noting that Nigeria was one of the countries that stood firmly by South Africa during its darkest hour.
Ultimately, while Nigerians living in South Africa are obligated to engage in legitimate business and shun criminality, pan-Africanists say the authorities must fulfill their responsibility to protect foreign nationals. ‘Turning fellow Africans into prey whose lives can be snuffed out at the slightest touch is despicable and against the African spirit.’