@the viper: Amen!!

When is District9 opening in Naija?

@the viper: With Pagad, it was quite simple police only had to decapitate its leadership and the threats and violence stopped, hundreds of people weren't killed although many were injured in bombs planted by them. I'm yet to see something like Boko Haram here, the closest we've come were those crazed Zulus who killed lots of people in Boipatong during the negotiation process. But like I said before, SA is hardly the ideal country but nonetheless things work here, there are roads and vital infrastructure that makes life very enjoyable.
You can watch District9 to see the worst of Joburg, the city is hardly attractive but that movie just makes it look decrepid.

@the viper: You're right. The violent criminals aren't just Nigerian, in fact I'm yet to meet a Nigerian that's violent- even those of the criminal variety. The violent ones are usually South African, Zimbabwean and Mozambican criminals, Nigerians are unfortunately known for drugs, prostitution and running all sorts of scams.

If we're paying back the "debt" for Nigeria's support in harbouring South Africa exiles then we shouldn't be paying it back in foreign-born criminals filling our jails. Have you ever asked yourself why people from Ghana, Liberia, Congo, Ethiopia and Morroco are not viewed with suspicion in SA? Because they're generally peaceful and don't make a nuisance of themselves. Naijaman has lots of enterprise but that trait also often leads him to get into trouble with the law.

@the_viper: Sorry for the experience you had to endure. Many South Africans have problems though with foreigners who don't contribute anything to the country, not saying all Nigerians do this but if you walk around Joburg's inner city you won't come back with a positive view of most foreigners in South Africa. If you can point me to South African men who go to Nigeria and overstay there visa's we can start chatting, right now its only one-way traffic, I can't go to Naija be a nuisance and expect to be treated with love and kindness.

PS: The fallacy often expressed here that Nigeria helped to "liberate" South Africa, it will remain that. A fantasy, South Africans liberated themselves even when America and UK supported the apartheid government. We were on the streets of this country making it ungovernable for the white minority while Nigerian had a succession of military dictators.

Watched the movie last night with friends of mine, people who won't usually go to see a sci-fi flick and they pretty much enjoyed it.
There's lots of funny dialogue that only South Africans will get, its pretty much a parody of so many social issues happening in South Africa today amongst them xenophobia and court-sanctioned removals of shack settlements to the outer reaches of our cities, its almost like a war on the poor.
The "Nigerians" in the movie were actually not from the West African country, they even spoke Zulu which was funny, the main gangster for instance spoke a language which is more familiar to Malawians.
So sorry to Nigerians who feel hard-done by the movie. They could've used Somalians and no-one would've taken any offence.

Nigerians have a right to complain about their depictions in a movie the same right that I have to complain about the stereotype on this board that every corner of South Africa is filled with criminals who rob, rape murder at the slightest provocation, The truth though is something that is in-between perceptioon and reality.

Outside of the big cities and townships (traditionally black areas) are relatively peaceful but I won't make a song and dance about this. I would imagine that not all of Nigeria is filled with crooks, areaboys, and 419 fraudsters who still fail to grasp the rules of basic English grammar.

I say take District 9 with a pinch of salt and perhaps next time, a Nigerian director can portrary white South Africans in a bad light as racists, savages and rapists

Aluta Continua

@Mad_Max: Generally speakin we can laugh at most issues. Our President dances and says silly things on tv, we make fun of him, he's supporters get angry but no-one is ever disappears or is threatened with death.Most South Africans who watch the movie will be able to see it for what it is: a satire on what's happening in the world. That's why I mentioned those other nationals. Nigerians are not the only people who are victims of xenophobia, if you guys held a competition with Zimbabweans you'd come a distant THIRD.

@mzansigirl: Yes, I know about that movie and looking forward to seeing it.

The Nigerian gangs in the movie could've been Somalians, Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and there would still have been beef coming from Nigerians, so to say that Blomkamp's portrayal betrays a xenophobic angle is too simplistic. Basically, Nigerians(specifically Igbos) are not well regarded in South Africa and Blomkamp just uses this as a general reference to "outsiders" but like I said before, this could've been any group.

The question that Nigerians have to ask themselves is why many of them are not well regarded. I've dealt with many Nigerians living in SA and I've had mixed experiences but I won't go as far as to say that I can hate a people, hell, one of my professors at university was a Naijaman, a brilliant man but then you juxtapose that with some of the shady characters that perpetuate the bad image of Nigerians.

About xenophobia: I've you've trawled these boards long enough, you'll notice that Nigerians generally have a distorted view of reality. Most in fact have either never been to South Africa, have heard second-hand accounts of the country and thus base their conclusions on this. The same can be said of many South Africans. Only many don't care for, or about Nigeria- call it being insular or what but people could honestly not care.

Big Up South Africa!!

And while we're at it, you guys need to check another good South African movie that came out earlier this year: White Wedding. It should be on DVD right now.

Sad I can't watch Nigerian home videos but they've cornered the low-end market in South Africa, so people are definitely watching. Just don't know how much of that money actually makes it way to the producers of these movies.

Now my wish is that we can see a Naija/South African co-production. There's still many good stories in both countries just waiting to get made into films, Boka Haram(sp?), xenophobia, natural resource conflict, love, politics, fantasy(not witchcraft) and the list is endless.

This report reads like a press release from Globacom. They can't be serious about getting into a "partnership" with Telkom and besides, why would the new entity be called VodaGlo when the "voda" in Vodacom denotes its partnership with the UK's Vodafone?

Whoever concocted this plan was surely clutching at straws, its highly unlikely that Telkom would sell it's 50% share in Vodacom to Glo and Vodafone would definitely block any such moves.

kingrd:

What has Nigeria gained for the huge support/assistance rendered to enable SA dislodge apatheid?

Permit me to list some of the steps Nigeria took to help liberate SA:
1. Compulsory deduction of percentage of workers salaries and donated same to SA support fund
2. BP was nationalized.
3. Nigeria was a key member of what was then known as 'Frontline States'

Today, getting a visa to SA for Nigerians is very hard. Multichoice, MTN and other SA companies operating in Nigeria do not treat national workers well.
For a long time our foreign policy was hinged on 'Africa is our centrepiece'. At 47, we need a paradym shift ===> match foreign policy with economic policy

Hope kingrd is still checking on this post.
As South Africans we're dealing with a whole lot of problems. The last thing we need is a guilt-trip from some Nigerian with an inferiority complex.
The reason that our multinationals come to your country and invest their money and expertise there is because Nigerians have refused, instead they save their money in offshore bank accounts and with their brains.
Nigeria might have hosted ANC refugees during the dark days of apartheid but we've never flooded your country to the extent that Nigeria's 419 scammers, drug dealers and petty criminals have streamed in SA after 1994, For example on any given day, in the major magistrate's courts in the city's you'll find a Nigerian appearing- most probably on a drug charge. This is not xenophobic, its fact.

Not that there aren't any people who are dead set against same-sex unions but most people don't care. Even some people within government are against gay unions but they don't voice this out because it would go against the Constitution.

Unless you're gay, the new civil unions bill should not matter and will not affect you. In South Africa we don't discriminate against anyone, it's written in the Constitution.

Although I'm a tech fiend and love new gadgets I think that HDTV is a bit far-off for a country like Nigeria, if there's any company that will bring HDTV to Nigeria it will be DStv, there's talk that we'll get HD in South Africa over satellite next year, until then I'm holding off on buying a new tv.

Another thing to consider is that there will be a high demand for the spectrum used by over-the-air HDTV, government authorities might decide that instead of automatically granting it to tv stations they might want to auction it off and chances are that the big telcos will scoop up that precious spectrum.

Also another factor to consider is programming and the costs of HD to stations, they will need to get new cameras and editing studios, all this equates to a lot of money. So right now it doesn't seem commercially viable in the short term to broadcast HD in Naija.

South Africa should have over-the-air HDTV in time for the World Cup in 2010, in just over three years from now.
http://www.sadiba.co.za/

Akolawole:

Preaching south africa all the way.

I withdrew what i initially typed because i want you to feel at home in Nairaland.

1) Do you mean $200 or 200 rands?

2) Some Nigerians may be Drug dealers in your jail but the same country that breed them gave the biggest contribution towards your Independence.
Which Country produced one of the highest Medical personnel working in your country.

3) Who told you people want to settle in SA? where there is BOtswana, Ghana and Tunisia.

[list]
[li]It's the South African equivalent of US Dollars, about R1400/month equals about $200[/li]

[li]Dunno about Nigerians freeing my black ass in the 80s when we were living under the yoke of oppression. Where were all these Nigerians who claim to have supported us? I think all the Nigerians should ask for a refund because your money was stolen from you under the guise of supporting South Africans.[/li]

[li]Now if only all the areaboys who have settled here could go off to Botswana/Tunisia/Ghana, it would certainly make a dent in the crime stats, especially in Hillbrow which is an inner city area of Joburg. [/li]

[/list]

I know here on my side companies are required by law to employ a certain number of disabled persons and the same goes for admission to universities, why can't someone take them to court and challenge the current status quo.

Have to agree with the previous poster who said people wearing nasty wig/weaves should be shot and chucked in jail by the fashion police.

I'll keep in telephonic contact but would not want to meet them, just in case all those old memories come streaming back.

Akolawole:

Firearms and Violent Crime in South Africa
Published in Nedbank ISS Crime Index
[b]Volume 3 1999
Number 1, January - February

Did you read the date on that report before you decided to post it because contextually it's incorrect, The latest crime stats for South Africa are released around September every year, use Google and search my brother.

Just to make Nigerians feel better about their country I'll say that we've got a spiraling crime rate and generally lawlessness reigns supreme And if you go to any jail you'll find an assortment of crooks from Nigerian fraudsters/drug dealers to Zimbabwean/Mozambican armed robbers and South African rapists.

In spite of all this South Africans are not knocking on the doors of other African countries begging to be let it, I'm still to meet anyone here who wants to permanently live in another African country.

Eurphoria:

Puleza
i have a Zimbabwean friend her mum is a minister in Zimbabwe and she was telling me if not for the illegal immigrants in SA parts of your economy would crumble.

South Africa's economy does not rely on the sweat of anyone but South African citizens, those people who your friends mom talks about are taking the crumbs off the table, they work as security guards and pizza delivery boys where they are paid a pittance, sometimes less than $200 US/month, don't know anyone in South Africa who would work for that money especially in the three big cities.

Becos as she said many SA are uneducated and depend on little handout or just steal , rob and kill. The proportion of the so called illegal you say selling drugs are nothing compared to the many young SA males running the streets , gun toting and harrassing tourists. Many are gangbangers and have taken the American ghetto mayhem way of life as a lifestyle choice.

This part does not make a lot of sense but I'll suggest you check out the Stats SA homepage which should give you clear picture of what's happening in South Africa with raw numbers that should keep you up throughout the night.

BTW, Happy New Year to everyone in Naija and the African continent in general

Akolawole:

@Smokie

Exagerate?

So they don't robb bank in daylight in Sati?

Police corruption nko?

Those 10million are stupid, i tell you.

In 1994,the year they gained independence. Visa agents started running up and down in Ibadan. My friend with good job fell for it, left a good job to go to J'bourg, he end up selling Pop-corn.

Have you even been here? Because you're sounding ridiculous, you make it sound as if Joburg is some Wild West frontier town, I'll admit it's not one of the safest cities in the world but "daylight" bank robberies are unheard of and no robber is stupid enough to rob a bank coz he'll only end up a blood-spattered corpse in the road.

Dunno about any Nigerian selling pop-corn, the ones I've met are far too proud and would rather hustle whether legally or illegally then do something degrading as sell pop corn, most of the Nigerians living here are doing quite well for themselves.

Akolawole:

Is it mandela's South Africa or which one?

There are two options in Sati(aswe call it).

Health Prefessionals or Drug dealers.

Few Tips about the Country


3) HIGHEST CRIME RATE IN THE WORLD

4) HIGHEST UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE WORLD

5) DAY-LIGHT BANK ROBBERY AT EASE.

What else can i say?

I think you're exagerating a bit, I can't remember the last time that 500 people got fried to death for attempting to steal crude oil from a pipeline.

Dunno about the last time someone actually robbed a bank, FYI most heists happen on national roads while cash is being transported, and most of the criminals committing these crimes are not South Africans but illegal aliens. Search for "Ananias Mathe" and you'll get what I mean.

Dunno about us having the highest unemployment rate in the world but if there were no jobs here we wouldn't have more than 10 million illegal aliens flooding our borders. Have you thought about Zimbabwe? What's the official unemployment rate in Naija? In SA it's around 35% give or take.

LoverBwoy:

how is it ironic?

nigerians say they are the giant of africa , other countries are considered "minnows"

NTA, AIT claim to be the biggest network in africa, some parts of nigeria don't even get their service talkless of africa!

ROLMAO, I suppose NTA, AIT are the biggest networks in Africa since the people who run these corporations probably do not recognise South Africa as being part of the African continent, it will probably take them years to catch up to what corporates are doing here like watching satellite tv channels on your cellphone.

BTW, Merry Christmas folks!!

For those who've been complaining about DStv's monopoly in Nigeria, the situation is no different in it's home country, In South Africa, if you want to watch any major sporting event there's only one outlet that broadcasts it and that's DStv which costs around US$60 for a month's subscription.

Here an interesting news article on upcoming competition for DStv in South Africa.

@LoverBwoy: No we don't get AIT or NTA broadcasting in this country, it should be said that there are no restrictions on them operating, thing is if they do decide to broadcast they will encounter fierce competition from local channels.

We also don't have any large Nigerian companies operating here. The only reason MTN went to Nigeria is because telecoms sector was under-developed and they saw a gap in the market, if you want to begrudge them for taking a risk go ahead.

Nigerians must realise that Globalisation is here to stay, unless you take risks in your own country other people are going to come there, take the risks and make big fat profits in the process.

If you guys in Nigeria think you have it hard with DStv check out this site.

http://www.mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=35742

This discussion is quite insightful of the Nigerian psyche. Like another posters mentioned before Nigerians support the EPL through DStv they should support their own local league and watch the games on television.

I say this discussion is insightful because it shows me that some Nigerians seem to have an inferiority complex when it comes to South African businesses( MTN, DStv) ripping off locals. I don't agree with DStv and the way it has purchased the rights but if you want to solve the problem you make laws and you enforce them through the courts, you don't throw down blanket bans two weeks before the start of a competition that will leave many people irritated at not being able to watch it.

Do you guys for instance know that it costs way more money to conduct business in Nigerian then South Africa? In South Africa there likelihood of power blackouts is zero, the road network is good and people generally don't complain about Nigerians ripping us off, the only thing they want to know is whether said Nigerian is bringing jobs to the country and investing in infrastructure.

Nigerians should instead of waiting for the DStv's and MTN's to exploit them invest money into their own economy.

BTW, I'm a South African.