Nigerian shop owner laments: If S’African authorities don’t step in, we have to leave

A Nigerian shop owner in South Africa says if the country’s government does not step in to stop the xenophobic attacks, “then we have to leave”.

A man identified as Sharif Danis (pictured) from “Ibo in Nigeria” told the BBC TV that the South African government has to do more to protect foreigners who have been the subject of attacks in the last two weeks.

Five persons have been confirmed dead in these attacks, but no Nigerian casualty has been recorded yet and the federal government has advised Nigerians to lock up their shops and stay indoors for now until the situation is calm.

Danis said he was “worried” and “scared” over the attacks, which were first recorded in 2008 during which 62 persons were killed — but there was no Nigerian casualty.

“The way it is now, we are worried and we are scared. Even right now if this thing should continue I don’t know how I’m going to pay my shop rent for this month,” he said.

On Friday, foreign-owned shops in eastern Johannesburg were attacked with the riots spread from Zululand.

Over 200 foreigners took refuge at a police station as houses hosting them were targeted by the rioters.

Asked if he was an illegal alien since the attackers said they were the ones they were targeting, Danis said: “I’m not illegal. I’ve got South African ID, South African passport, South Africa driving licence.”

He said the talk that foreigners were taking locals’ jobs was “arrant nonsense”.

“There is no job being taken away. If you look around here now, you can see up to 30 empty shops. So if they say people are taking their jobs, why don’t they rent those shops and start something?”

He said the government was doing “their bit” but need to do more “by allaying the fears and letting the people go back to their homes”.

President Jacob Zuma has condemned the attacks which seemed to have been supported by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini who reportedly said foreigners should “go back to their countries”.

He subsequently said his comments had been distorted.

Danis said Nigerians were hospitable, telling his interviewer: “If I should take you to my place, my mother would make your food first every morning before making my own food. That is how welcoming we are. That is how we show appreciation to foreigners.”

He described the rioters as “idle”.

“An idle man is always devil’s workshop. When people are engaged in things that wouldn’t help them in life, when they see other people improving, they become jealous.

“What we know now is that the locals don’t want us. They say we should go. If the authorities above cannot help us, who are we to stay?” he said.

There are fears the riots may continue to spread in a country where unemployment rate is put at 24% — which is similar to the last rate of unemployment in Nigeria published by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2011.