By a Correspondent
Nigeria-South Africa relations have suffered a fresh diplomatic setback after President Bola Tinubu (pictured) reportedly declined to meet a special delegation sent by his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, to address growing tensions over renewed xenophobic attacks.
The delegation, led by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, was instead directed to meet Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, in what has been interpreted as a sign of Abuja’s growing frustration with Pretoria’s handling of violence against African migrants.
The reported diplomatic snub comes amid worsening relations between two of the continent’s biggest economies and follows the evacuation of hundreds of Nigerians from South Africa after renewed incidents of xenophobic violence.
According to reports from Nigeria, the South African delegation arrived in Abuja on Friday seeking an audience with Tinubu but was told that the President would first have to decide whether he was available.
A Presidency source quoted by the media in Abuja said the delegation had not given sufficient advance notice of its request to meet Tinubu.
The source said the Nigerian President initially indicated that the delegation could return on Monday, but when the day came, Tinubu reportedly directed the envoys to meet Enikanolaiye instead.
“Whatever they discuss, the Minister would come and brief him,” the source was quoted as saying. Another Presidency official reportedly confirmed that the meeting with Tinubu would not take place.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently confirmed that Enikanolaiye had received the South African delegation on the President’s directive.
Neither the Nigerian Presidency nor the South African government has publicly commented on the reported decision by Tinubu to decline the meeting.
The diplomatic tensions have been fuelled by renewed attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, with Abuja increasingly demanding stronger action from Pretoria.
During the talks in Abuja, the South African delegation defended its government’s right to enforce immigration laws and tackle crime, including offences allegedly committed by some foreign nationals.
Nigeria rejected the argument, with Enikanolaiye describing the violence against African migrants as unacceptable and warning that the attacks reflected a broader pattern of Afrophobic violence.
He also reminded the South African delegation of Nigeria’s historic role in the struggle against apartheid and reportedly said about 98 Nigerians had been killed in previous xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The remarks underscore the depth of resentment in Nigeria, where South Africa’s treatment of African migrants is increasingly being viewed as a betrayal of the solidarity shown to the country during the apartheid era.
Lamola, meanwhile, urged African governments to address the underlying causes of migration, including unemployment, conflict and climate change, rather than engaging in what he described as “finger-pointing” against South Africa.
The Abuja mission forms part of a wider diplomatic campaign by Pretoria to contain growing criticism across Africa over xenophobic violence.
Lamola recently travelled to Ghana as Ramaphosa’s special envoy before heading to Nigeria, as South Africa seeks to reassure African governments and defend its immigration policies.
Pretoria has argued that it has a responsibility to enforce its immigration laws and combat criminality, but critics say the government must do more to protect migrants and confront the anti-foreigner sentiment that has erupted into violence.
For Nigeria, the issue is particularly sensitive given the long history of Nigerian migration to South Africa and the repeated attacks on Nigerians living and working there.
The latest tensions have also raised concerns over the potential for retaliatory measures against South African interests elsewhere on the continent.
The dispute is now increasingly moving beyond bilateral relations and onto the broader African agenda.
Migration is expected to feature prominently at the African Union Executive Council meeting in Addis Ababa this week, amid calls for a continental response to the treatment of African migrants and the root causes of irregular migration.
South Africa has said it welcomes a broader discussion, arguing that migration should be examined as a continent-wide challenge rather than a problem focused solely on Pretoria.
Lamola has also said South Africa would welcome an AU fact-finding mission and supports a continental approach based on the AU Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and the Southern African Development Community’s migration framework.
But the reported decision by Tinubu to decline a direct meeting with Ramaphosa’s envoys suggests that diplomatic assurances may no longer be enough to ease Nigeria’s anger.
As xenophobic violence continues to reverberate across Africa, pressure is likely to grow on South Africa to demonstrate concrete action to protect African migrants and prevent further attacks.
The latest diplomatic setback also raises fresh questions about the future of relations between Nigeria and South Africa, with both countries facing growing pressure to prevent a dispute over migration and xenophobia from developing into a wider continental confrontation.
