REPRESENTATIVES yesterday demanded compensation for the victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa from the President Jacob Zuma-led government.
The lawmakers stated that the compensation will allow the victims to have something to fall back after losing all to the attacks.
Committee on Diaspora Affairs Chairman Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, stated this in Abuja yesterday after presenting the House of Representatives resolution to the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Louis Mnguni in his office.
The ambassador, who said the government deployed soldiers to strengthen the police in the battle to end the attacks, apologised for the South African government.
“We are sorry. South African government has deployed the army and the police. Please bear with us,” Mnguni said.
The government of South Africa must put an end to the provocative and barbaric attacks on immigrants, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa said.
Her words: “It is unfortunate that our first meeting with you is about these xenophobic attacks.We view it with strong condemnation and we want the South African government to expedite action on how to stop this barbaric act against our people.
“We also feel that the best thing the government should do is to compensate those victims of the attacks. We are calling on the South African government to compensate Nigerians that are victims of these attacks so that they can have something to fall back on.”
According to Mrs. Dabiri Erewa, the unity, which the African Union (AU) has fought for over the years, has been undermined by the attacks.
The South African envoy, who regretted the sad development, noted that the two countries should be celebrating Nigeria’s electoral feat rather than the disaffection caused by a few South Africans.
While not ruling out compensation for the victims of the attack, Mnguni, however, said his country’s primary concern was how to stop the threat to lives due to the attacks and stabilising the situation before moving to the next stage.
According to him, parts of the interim measures being taking by his home government include frantic efforts to stop the attacks.
He told his guests that the government has established camps to provide make-shift accommodation for those dislodged from their homes.
Mnguni said: “The issue of compensation has been raised on a number of fora but threat to life still remains our concern for now. We want to secure life and livelihood and stabilise the situation.”
He added that the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs was working with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHR) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to address the plight of the victims.
The envoy further disclosed that plans were underway to introduce the teaching and the study of the roles of African countries in the fight against apartheid into the syllabus as an effort aimed at changing the orientation of post-apartheid South Africans.
“We are sorry. South African government has deployed the army and the police. Please bear with us,” he said.