Tinubu-Ramaphosa meet amid xenophobia claims despite Nigeria's historical ANC support
President Bola Tinubu met President Cyril Ramaphosa in Cape Town on December 3, 2024 for the 11th Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission as Premium Times reported rising xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. Nigerian writer Prince Kio Jaja Amachree claimed Nigeria donated $61 billion to the ANC and Pan African Congress by 1994, worth hundreds of billions today adjusted for inflation, contrasting with recent violence against Nigerians.
Specific incidents cited include the June 28, 2026 killings of Musa Yunana Joe (allegedly by South African police) and Charles Iroegbu (by unidentified attackers), and the April 2026 beating death of Amaramiro Emmanuel by SANDF soldiers per Nigeria's consul general. By early July 2026, nearly 600 Nigerians had been evacuated on emergency flights with approximately 1,000 registered to flee, while over 13,000 African migrants were driven out recently. Amachree noted Operation Dudula and March on March marches targeting migrants, accusing opposition leader Herman Mashaba of bankrolling anti-migrant groups.
The article contextualizes the violence through David Hundeyin's analysis of apartheid's enduring economic inequality, where black South Africans remain trapped in poverty while white minority controls national wealth. Amachree asserted Nigerians won't forget historical support, stating 'the ledger is open' for justice through courts or commerce, while urging restraint citing biblical principles and MLK's teachings that hate is overcome by love, not retaliation.