Patrick Lumumba call for apology, compensation to victims South Africa xenophobia

Popular Kenyan pan-Africanist, Patrick Lumumba, don call on di govment of South Africa to pay compensations to fellow Africans wey lose dia means of livelihood for di recent anti-immigration attacks for di kontri.

Lumumba, wey be lawyer and public speaker, tok dis one for Delta State, for di south-south region of Nigeria on Monday, wia e bin attend one investment summit as one of di guest speakers.

E describe di xenophobic attacks by some South African citizens as betrayal of di spirit of African unity, and e ask di Cyril Ramaphosa administration to apologise to di whole of Africa and di international community.

"Na wetin I dey now call Afrophobia bicos e dey targeted only at Africans. Di Indians dey safe for South Africa, di whites dey safe, na only pipo of African descent dey targeted," Lumumba tok.

Di renowned scholar tok say di whole situation na tragedy especially for dis period wey di pan-African parliament dey based for South Africa and di head of di African Continental Free Trade Area na South African wey base for Ghana.

Lumumba say Africans no suppose reply hate wit hate, but rather to overwhelm dem wit love "so dat di scales for dia eyes go fall and di wax for dia ears go melt".

"I tink say some of dem still dey traumatised by apartheid and dem dey suffer from Stockholm syndrom. Dem love dia white oppressors wey still dey control 70% of dia economy," e tok.

"But one of di tins wey we must require from di South African govment na to make a clear and unequivocal apology, and create a fund to compensate di pipo wey dia businesses dey destroyed by dis vigilante groups known as 'Operation Dudula' and 'March and March'".

Di South African govment bin don tell di BBC for previous interviews say dem don arrest plenty of dia citizens wey commit illegal acts during di protests and about 69 of dem dey undergo prosecution for di Western Cape region alone.

However, spokesmen for various agencies of di kontri don tok different tins concerning weda di govment go pay compensation to victims or not.

Chrispin Phiri wey be di tok-tok pesin for di South Africa foreign ministry tell di BBC say "transparent claims for compensation go dey assessed on di facts and a case-by-case basis".

But anoda govment minister, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, tok say dia govment "no go pay compensation for property wey migrants bin acquire through illegal means".

Xenophobia victims tell dia tori

Meanwhile, two pipo - one Nigerian and one Ghana pesin - wey run comot from South Africa, don narrate dia tori to di BBC about wetin dem suffer for di kontri, and how life be for dem now.

Richard Itoro from Nigeria tok say e gatz leave im South African wife and dia twin children bicos e bin fear for im life.

Di 47-year-old tok say e don spend more dan 15 years for di kontri, e start a successful car-dealership business, buy house and start im family, but now all of dat don go.

"E dey veri painful for me to leave di pesin we be my best friend," Itoro tok about im wife as tears full im eye.

E narrate how dia neighbours start to dey harass im wife dey tell am say she betray dem as she marry Nigerian man.

"My family na just small family wey dey beautiful and peaceful. I bin no get any issues wit anybody."

As di situation get worse, e tell imsef say e go beta make e go back to Nigeria and start again dan to remain for South Africa dey always face harassment and fear.

However, according to Itoro, di Nigerian High Commission for South Africa no allow make e travel wit im wife and children.

Di South African govment don always insist say dem no get any problem wit pesin wey enta di kontri legally, but Itoro show our tori pesin documents to prove say im no be illegal migrant for di kontri.

Like Itoro, Emmanuel Asamoah from Ghana, bin dey work as hairdresser for Soweto wia e settle wen e arrive for South Africa for 2023.

E narrate to di BBC how angry mob bin surround am for May dis year during one anti-immigrant march, and e tink say im life don almost end.

"Dem come to me and start to dey push me... So, dem start to dey ask me questions and harass me… dem say make I go home, say we dey spoil dia kontri, bicos of us, dem no dey eat, we dey take dia girlfriends," e tok.

"I bin no dey illegal. I dey legal for South Africa. Dat na why I tell dem say make dem take me to di police station so we go verify from di Home Affairs."