Punch Newspapers Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa A total of 397 Nigerians are currently undergoing screening to leave South Africa amid xenophobic tensions and anti-foreigner campaigns in the country. The exercise, which began on Thursday and is expected to end on Sunday, is being supervised by the South African Police Service, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. This was disclosed by the President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, Reverend Frank Onyekwelu, on Friday. Onyekwelu said over 600 Nigerians had applied to return home for various reasons, but only 397 were cleared for the first evacuation flight after screening. He added that the date for the first flight has not yet been fixed, as the Nigerian Consulate and High Commission are working with the Federal Government to finalise arrangements. According to him, “The screening for the repatriation started on Thursday and will end on Sunday, after which about 397 people will be on the first flight back home.” Onyekwelu explained that many of those opting to return had lost their jobs, livelihoods, or valid immigration documents. “Some of them have become undocumented migrants because their permits were not renewed. The screening is to ensure that those returning do not have criminal cases pending,” he added. Reports indicate that since early this year, there have been anti-foreigner protests in several South African cities, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, with Nigerians among those affected. Authorities in eThekwini Municipality had also reportedly moved foreign nationals in Durban to screening centres for documentation verification. Some Nigerians are still awaiting developments following threats in KwaZulu-Natal demanding that foreigners leave by June 30.
