Johannesburg - The recall of a top
diplomat after a spate of xenophobic
attacks in South Africa follows
several similar spats that expose the
two countries' deep rivalry for
economic and political dominance in
Africa.
Acting High Commissioner to South
Africa Martin Cobham said on
Saturday he had been "invited" to
Abuja to discuss this month's anti-
immigrant attacks in South Africa,
which have killed at least seven
people.
Also read: Nigeria says ambassador
recall from S. Africa 'usual practice'
Televised images of armed gangs
attacking immigrants and looting
foreign-owned stores in
Johannesburg have sparked a
backlash in Nigeria, where hundreds
protested in front of shops owned by
South African brands like MTN and
Shoprite.
South Africa's foreign ministry on
Sunday called Cobham's recall an
"unfortunate and regrettable step",
before taking a swipe at Abuja for its
own record on protecting foreigners.
Last September, a church hostel
collapsed in Lagos, killing 115
people, most of them South African.
Nigeria was criticised for its slow
response to the disaster and what
some saw as a haphazard rescue
effort.
"It would be curious for a sisterly
country to want to exploit such a
painful episode for whatever
agenda," a foreign ministry
statement said in response to
Cobham's recall.
"We did not blame the Nigerian
government for the deaths and more
than nine months' delay in the
repatriation of the bodies of our
fallen compatriots."
Such tit-for-tat slights are becoming
increasingly common.
Weeks after the hostel collapse,
South Africa seized $9.3 million from
a private jet carrying two Nigerians,
funds Abuja said were for a
legitimate arms deal. South Africa
said the deal was being conducted
without relevant permits.
Abuja accused South Africa of
xenophobia when Nigerians were
deported after staff at Johannesburg
airport believed their yellow fever
certificates were fake. Arik Air,
Nigeria's biggest airline, briefly
cancelled flights to South Africa.
Cannibals
Nigeria banned 2009 film "District
9", a hit movie directed by a South
African that depicted Nigerians as
cannibals, criminals and prostitutes
who had sex with aliens.
Rows over Hollywood movies and
yellow fever certificates are reflective
of a more serious battle for economic
dominance and control over Africa's
representation on the global stage.
"It's no secret that Africa's would-be
superpowers don't like each other
very much," analyst Simon Allison
wrote in a column in the Daily
Maverick, a leading South African
political online newspaper.
"For all their lofty talk of unity and
pan-Africanism, both Nigeria and
South Africa are actually locked in a
fierce struggle to be sub-Saharan
Africa's pre-eminent superpower."
Nigeria overtook South Africa as the
continent's biggest economy last
year after re-basing its GDP. Pretoria
said the numbers reflected Nigeria's
larger population and not the
sophistication of their respective
economies.
"Despite what was said publicly,
Nigeria's rebasing was resented by
the South African government," a
Pretoria-based Western diplomat
told Reuters.
Diplomats say that when South
African politician Nkosazana Dlamini-
Zuma, the ex-wife of President Jacob
Zuma, won a close race to chair the
African Union Commission in 2012,
Nigeria strongly backed her
opponent.
Both countries are also lobbying for
a permanent position to represent
Africa on the United Nations Security
Council.
Given their political and economic
heft together, the two economies are
larger than the rest of sub-Saharan
Africa's combined relations between
South Africa and Nigeria could be
decisive for the future of a continent
of 1 billion people.
"Nigeria and South Africa are like
two prisoners in the same cell of
poverty, inequality and bad
leadership," Nigerian writer and
political commentator Elnathan John
told Reuters.
"Together they could muster the
strength to break their bonds and
overpower the jailer but instead
they spend time feuding with each
other in a needlessly fractious
relationship."
www.news24.com/nigeria/National/News/Xenophobia-row-exposes-rivalry-between-SA-and-Nigeria-20150428

Not just recent Xenophobic attack made us know this SA never liked Nigerians. We beeign named Giant of africa is like a fish bone in their neck, when Nigeria is said to be the largest n suxful economy in Africa the SA's frown @ it. They were happy in insurgency is claiming the live of our dear citizens n rejoicing that our military are not able to quell but will pretend to syphatize with us.
Obviously the children of 93 down to now have read or taught about the role Nigeria played in during apatheid in SA. I weep for them but our accomodative n liniency will not allow us to react.

#fact

I really concur with this article. The rivalry for a superior post is a factor why SA hate Nigeria. NigeriaPhobia reigns supreme in the bloodstream and lineage of SAns. A Nigerian friend who worked with the british police and spend his childhood in SA told me that SAns says they love the way and sound(because Nigerians are hefty and strong) Nigerians men falls(tuds) when a shot from a gun pierced their heart. You can imagine the UTTER HATRED they possess for Nigerians.
SA taught Nigeria cruelty. HOW? During the Apartheid, Nigeria and Nigerians in order to show their support and solidarity to SA, Nationalized British Oil companies working in Nigeria. We sent our own wealth, money, oil and materials to help the black fought against the white aparthy.
We stood by them during SA trying times but see today, SA did not even send a SINGLE bullet to Nigeria in their fight against BH terrorism. They can't even say " Ah! My brother, you support me during the aparthy, here is a gun for your Army against BH". If today, Nigeria sanctioned SA economically, they've done well because SAns are really an ingrate.

Vikkie14:
I really concur with this article. The rivalry for a superior post is a factor why SA hate Nigeria. NigeriaPhobia reigns supreme in the bloodstream and lineage of SAns. A Nigerian friend who worked with the british police and spend his childhood in SA told me that SAns says they love the way and sound(because Nigerians are hefty and strong) Nigerians men falls(tuds) when a shot from a gun pierced their heart. You can imagine the UTTER HATRED they possess for Nigerians.
SA taught Nigeria cruelty. HOW? During the Apartheid, Nigeria and Nigerians in order to show their support and solidarity to SA, Nationalized British Oil companies working in Nigeria. We sent our own wealth, money, oil and materials to help the black fought against the white aparthy.
We stood by them during SA trying times but see today, SA did not even send a SINGLE bullet to Nigeria in their fight against BH terrorism. They can't even say " Ah! My brother, you support me during the aparthy, here is a gun for your Army against BH". If today, Nigeria sanctioned SA economically, they've done well because SAns are really an ingrate.

true