Xenophobia: Obasanjo replies Buthelezi, urges affected nations to approach AU

In what appears to be his first reaction to the xenophobic
attacks in South Africa, former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
has urged countries whose citizens were affected to table the
appropriate motions at the African Union (AU).

He also urged them to consider other measures, if the situation
is allowed to continue unabated.

Obasanjo, who responded to the xenophobic crisis through a
letter to the President of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Prince
Mangosuthu Buthelezi, on Monday, said that it was a great
disservice to the continent and the black race, for any African
country to encourage or allow or not seriously sanction xenophobia
against Africans in their country.

The former president responding to Buthelezi’s letter dated
September 11, which was made available to newsmen, through his
Special Assistant Media, Kehinde Akinyemi in Abeokuta, declared
that there was a “need for fence-mending, reconciliation, and
wound-binding between South Africa and the countries whose citizens
have been victims of xenophobia and afrophobia in South
Africa.”

He submitted that South Africa should send emissaries to the
countries concerned to explain, apologise and agree on the way
forward for mutual understanding, accommodation, reconciliation,
and binding the wound to promote unity, concord, and brotherhood in
Africa.

He opined that repatriation of Nigerians from South Africa was
neither a permanent solution, but palliative nor revenge desirable
solutions.

According to Obasanjo, “mutual understanding and acknowledgment
of what needs to be done on all sides is imperative and getting
down to doing them is the solution that will serve Nigeria and
South Africa and indeed Africa well particularly in this era of
Africa Continental Free Trade Area opportunities.”

He added that Nigeria and South Africa must stand together to
champion African cause and to jointly shepherd African development,
unity, cooperation, security, and progress to make the 21st century
Africa’s century.

While expressing the belief that Africans living in any other
part of Africa must be treated as brothers and friends, the former
president added that “if they commit any crime, they should be
treated as citizens of that country will be treated when they
commit a crime, which will mean applying judicial process.”

He chided the South African police for allegedly standing aloof
watching miscreants and criminals committing crimes against fellow
human beings, declaring that such attitude either connotes
incompetence or collusion on the part of the police.

He, however, charged the South African police and other
law-enforcement agencies, to ensure they uphold the letter and
spirit of the Constitution of South Africa.

Obasanjo, said the belief being touted that xenophobia will give
South Africans jobs was a fallacy, pointing out xenophobia will
rather make an investment in South Africa a little bit more
difficult which will lead to a lack of job creation and loss of
existing jobs.

The letter reads: “I thank you for your very kind and thoughtful
letter of September 11, 2019, and I appreciate the honour done me
by specially writing to me a letter on a very unfortunate and sad
incident of xenophobia in South Africa. I also take note of your
statements and other communications made in South Africa by you on
the same issue.

“The xenophobia or afrophobia going on in South Africa is an
unfortunate issue for South Africa and for the whole of Africa. It
is unfortunate in many respects. There are only two countries in
Africa that have ‘Africa’ as part of their names: Central Africa
Republic and Republic of South Africa. For any of these two
countries and, I dare say, for any African country to encourage or
allow or not seriously sanction xenophobia against Africans in
their country, it is a great disservice not only to the country
where xenophobia takes place and the countries of the victims
concerned, but also a great disservice to the whole of Africa and
the black race.

“I want to thank you, my dear senior brother, for the statement
you made to alert leaders and ordinary people of South Africa to
appreciate that turning a blind eye and not making a very strong
statement of condemnation or taking a very strong stand against
xenophobia is encouraging xenophobia or being an accomplice in
xenophobia and/or afrophobia. I also want to thank you for
referring in the same statement to Nigeria’s contribution and my
own personal contribution to the struggle against colonialism in
Southern Africa and apartheid in South Africa. I must also commend
others in South Africa who have taken a similar position in the
overall interest of Africa.

“We, in Nigeria, if I may speak particularly for Nigeria, did
all that we did for liberation in different parts of Africa,
particularly in Southern Africa, including getting rid of apartheid
in South Africa because we believed it was our obligatory duty to
do so as Africans. We, as black people, believed and still believe
that we would be second-class citizens in the world if we allowed
any black people anywhere in the world, not to talk of Africa, to
be treated as second-class citizens because of the colour of their
skin without fighting against it. It is because of our belief in
human dignity generally and especially afro dignity. We were
motivated and goaded by principle and not by possession, position
or praises. We were not doing it to get any reward or material
benefit as such.

We were doing it because we were convinced that it was our duty,
our responsibility and our obligation to humanity and to the black
race. That is why we, in Nigeria, in spite of our distance from the
frontline of the struggle against colonialism in Southern Africa
and apartheid in South Africa, we became, in terms of our
participation, contribution, commitment, and sacrifice, members of
the frontline States. Whether that is recognised and appreciated or
not, we really don’t mind as we believe we have done our duty as we
ought to have done, and if occasion occurs in future where we need
to open our doors, out of our humanity and Africanity, for people
in similar situation of need as happened to people in Southern
Africa and South Africa, we will do it again as we did in the
past.

“However, we believe that Africans living in any other part of
Africa must be treated as brothers and friends. If they commit any
crime, they should be treated like citizens of that country will be
treated when they commit a crime which will mean applying judicial
process. Moreover, the South African police and other law
enforcement agencies must uphold the letter and spirit of the
Constitution of South Africa, which stipulate that, “the South
African Police Service has a responsibility to prevent, combat and
investigate crime, maintain public order, protect and secure the
inhabitants of the Republic and their property, uphold and enforce
the law, create a safe and secure environment for all people in
South Africa, prevent anything that may threaten the safety or
security of any community, investigate any crimes that threaten the
safety or security of any community, ensure criminals are brought
to justice and participate in efforts to address the causes of
crime.” Where the Police would stand aloof watching miscreants and
criminals committing crimes against fellow human beings is
condemnable and not acceptable in any civilised society. This was
experienced in South Africa in recent times and it shows either
incompetence or collusion on the part of the Police.

“The best way to fight crime is to achieve close to full
employment in a society and not through xenophobia. Anybody who can
deny xenophobia in South Africa of today can deny that my mother is
a woman. It should not be a game of denial but rather a game of
accepting reality and working at it, together with the rest of
Africa where necessary. Countries in Africa are not just transit
for drugs from sources in Latin America and Asia to consuming
populations in North America and Europe, but these countries in
Southern Africa and West Africa are also falling victims as
consumers and producers. It requires collaboration of producing
regions and countries working with transit regions and countries
and consuming regions and countries to deal effectively with the
menace of drugs as established by the West Africa Commission on
Drugs, WACD.

“As it is being touted that xenophobia will give South Africans
jobs, I dare say, it is fallacy. Xenophobia will make an investment
in South Africa a little bit more difficult which will lead to lack
of job creation and loss of existing jobs. It should also be
realised that most migrants did not migrate out of their country to
other countries with total emptiness. Some have education, skills,
experience, expertise, entrepreneurship and sheer guts which they
can bring to bear on the economy of the country they have migrated
to. What has helped most developed countries in the world is
openness and receiving migrants with open hands and open minds. In
any case, all of us in the world are migrants, no matter where we
live, depending only on how far back you want to go.

“I, once again, thank you for the position you have taken and I
hope that your statement will ring bells in the minds of leaders
and ordinary South Africans to know that they are living in Africa
where rightly South Africa should be one of the countries to play
leadership role in Africa. But if xenophobia is encouraged, South
Africa will not earn the role of leadership which can only be
granted and conferred by the rest of Africa because leadership
requires certain amount of sacrifice and attitude of understanding,
compassion, kindness, brotherhood and hospitality. These are normal
African virtues and attributes which South Africa must imbibe.

“The lessons to be learned from all this is that our individual
countries in Africa must have programmes that will provide
livelihoods for their teeming youth population to discourage youths
from embarking on hazardous journeys to places where their lives
will be in danger all in search of greener pastures that may never
be there. Our youth too must learn that when they are in any
country, they must be law-abiding and be actively productive
members of their host country.

“At this juncture, there is a need for fence-mending,
reconciliation and wound-binding between South Africa and the
countries whose citizens have been victims of xenophobia and
afrophobia in South Africa. As a suggestion, South Africa should
send emissaries to the countries concerned to explain, apologise
and agree on the way forward for mutual understanding,
accommodation, reconciliation, and binding the wound to promote
unity, concord, and brotherhood in Africa. Repatriation of
Nigerians from South Africa is obviously not a permanent solution.
At best it is palliative. But the hurt will still remain for some
time. Neither is revenge a desirable solution. Mutual understanding
and acknowledgment of what needs to be done on all sides is
imperative and getting down to doing them is the solution that will
serve Nigeria and South Africa and indeed Africa well particularly
in this era of Africa Continental Free Trade Area opportunities.
Nigeria and South Africa must stand together to champion African
cause and to jointly shepherd African development, unity,
cooperation, security, and progress to make the 21st century
Africa’s century.

“In the final analysis, if South Africa fails to initiate
appropriate and satisfactory steps to deal with the issues to
pacify affected victims and work for reconciliation with the
countries concerned to put an end to xenophobia, the concerned
countries of the victims should come together to table appropriate
motions at the AU level first and consider other measures if the
situation is allowed to continue.”