Boko Haram allegedly heading to South Africa to bomb them for killing Nigerians

Thursday, April 30, 2015

The dreaded Boko Haram insurgents have been spotted in Zimbabwe on transit to South Africa, according to reports by UK-based news outlet, ZimEye, which cited Zimbabwe’s national intelligence agency.

According to the Zimbabwean news website, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) issued an intelligence report warning that the Islamist militant group is in Zimbabwe en route to neighbouring South Africa.

ZimEye added that the South African intelligence service has alerted police officers in Zimbabwe’s Matebeleland region about Boko Haram’s intentions to infiltrate South Africa.

Other Zimbabwean media outlets have picked up the story. One outlet, Harare24, claims, “Officers were yesterday called for duty at around 9pm and are now temporarily stationed at selected police stations where they camp.”

iHarare reports that police spokespersons have not responded to a request for clarification on the original ZimEye report, and official statements from the government of Zimbabwe regarding Boko Haram’s potential presence in Zimbabwe do not appear to exist.

The Matebeleland region borders South Africa, where the jihadist group may seek to “carry out revenge attacks for the ill-treatment of several Nigerian nationals in the ongoing xenophobic attacks” that have left seven people dead and displaced thousands more from their homes, notes the news website.

Boko Haram released a propaganda this month threatening to kill South Africans in retribution for the wave of xenophobic violence affecting Nigerians and others in that nation, though it was believed that Boko Haram members would find and kill South Africans in the areas where they operate: Northeast Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon.

Boko Haram reportedly released a video nearly two weeks ago urging South Africa to end the xenophobic attacks taking place within its borders.

Zimbabwe’s online news outlet iHarare reports that in the video, which has not yet been verified as authentic, Boko Haram warned that it would execute all South Africans in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and other surrounding countries if the government of South Africa failed to contain the situation.

Xenophobia: Nigerian men are snatching our wives – South African politician

Saturday, April 25, 2015

South African politician, Makashule Gana, has said that some of his compatriots complained to him that they are angry with Nigerians and other immigrants because they snatched their girlfriends.

Gana, a Deputy Federal Chairperson of Democratic Alliance, made this disclosure at an anti-xenophobia rally, held at Constitution Hill.

South African newspaper, City Press, reports that Gana advised that rather than get angry and take the anger out on foreigners, South African men should “provide” properly for women, instead of lashing out at non-nationals for “stealing” women away.

“If you can’t speak to a girl, now all of a sudden a man that comes from Zimbabwe or Nigeria that can speak to a girl now must be killed. What is that? 

So I ask my fellow brothers from South Africa, if you want a woman please go speak up, don’t go around and killing someone from Nigeria because they can speak up for themselves. Speak out because it is important,” he told the crowd.

Gana urged the crowd at the rally to spread the message of not taking part in xenophobic attacks to “our wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, makhwaphenis (secret lovers), neighbours and brothers”. He also urged South Africans to look at themselves and not blame non-nationals for stealing their jobs when these jobs didn’t exist in the first place.

“Go and start a spaza shop,” advised Gana.

Outrage after South African Minister is denied entry to Israel

Friday, April 24, 2015

The government of South Africa has expressed outrage after Israel's decision to deny a visa to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande.


Clayson Monyela, Deputy Director General of Department of International Relations and Cooperation, told Al Jazeera on Thursday the Israeli government needed to offer a reason for the snubbing.

"We are taking it up through the proper channels. We need to receive a proper explanation for the denial of a visa to a sitting cabinet minister," Monyela said.

The minister was scheduled to travel to the occupied Palestinian territories from April 25-29. He was scheduled to secure further collaboration with the University of Johannesburg and institutions in Palestine.

Nzimande's spokesperson told local media that the denial of the visa had caused a "serious diplomatic problem".

Arthur Lenk, the Israeli ambassador in Pretoria, told Al Jazeera that South African officials routinely visit the West Bank through Israel. Lenk would not be drawn into discussing why specifically Nzimande's visa application was denied, though he described the minister as being "very vocal on a range of issues connected to Israel, South Africa and my region".


The ambassador said the decision to deny the visa was made in Israel.

"The decision came from Jerusalem," Lenk said.

Nzimande has been a vocal critic of Israel. His spokesperson said on Thursday the minister would call on all higher education institutions to cut ties with their counterparts in Israel.

"We must just boycott Israel," Nkwanyana reportedly said.

South Africa currently has full diplomatic relations with Israel and recognises Israel within the borders demarcated by the United Nations (UN) in 1948.

In 2012, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Ebrahim Ebrahim discouraged South Africans from visiting Israel.

"We do not prevent them. We say we discourage them."

Xenophobia: NANS gives South African government 72 hrs ultimatum

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has given the South African government 72 hours to stop xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans resident in the country.

NANS President Tijani Usman conveyed the ultimatum during a protest march by the association against such attacks on Tuesday in Abuja.

NANS had on April 18, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the South African Government to end the attacks.

The students who had placards with the inscriptions “Say no to Xenophobia’’; “Xenophobia is Evil’’; “South Africa, Enough is Enough’’, marched to the MTN office and the South African High Commission both in Maitama.

“The purpose of this protest is to register our grievances and solidarise with our people in South Africa because of the xenophobic attacks; Africa is our own and we should not be racists in our own continent. 

We condemn such acts and we call on President Jacob Zuma of South Africa to address this issue with immediate effect, otherwise South Africans in Nigeria will not find things easy here;  we will make sure they are deported back and we will shut all their businesses. 

This is a signal; we are giving them 72 hours to stop all attacks; if they fail, they will face the wrath of Nigerian students.’’

Usman appealed to the United Nations to call the South African Government to order, adding that it seemed not to have taken any serious action to address the problem.

Also speaking, Mr Nwankwo Ezekiel, the NANS Public Relations Officer, told NAN that the protest was to drive home the earlier ultimatum given to the South African Government.

“In our statement earlier, we gave seven days but today, we want to register our grievances so that in the next three days, we will shut down all South African investments in Nigeria, if the attacks are not stopped,’’ he said.

NAN reports that it took the timely intervention of a team of policemen led by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, to quell the brewing tension at the MTN office as some students were becoming unruly.

Inalegwu told NAN that that the students had the right to protest but were expected to conduct themselves properly. He said he had to come down to the MTN office personally when we received a report that the students were trying to conduct themselves otherwise.

 “I had to come here personally and I thank God that their president was able to lead the students out of the premises peacefully. 

“We have deployments in other South African establishments and I have spoken with their president and I expect him to conduct himself properly,’’ the commissioner said.

The students also took their protest to the South African High Commission.

Xenophobia: "Stop now or face our wrath" - OPC threatens South Africans

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The leader of Odua Peoples Congress, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun while addressing journalists at a press conference today in Lagos gave South Africans 48 hours to stop the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians or face its wrath.

Dr. Fasehun says the citizens should not forget that South Africans are also in other countries including Nigeria and have businesses to protect.

His words:

“While the Nigerian government and the rest of the world seek a diplomatic solution to this season of madness, the OPC hereby warns that South Africa must end this rash of xenophobia within 48 hours. These ill-advised attacks are capable of bringing out the beast in the best of men. And we will not watch as fellow Nigerians are wantonly killed in cold blood.

“Enough is enough. South Africans must know that nobody has a monopoly of violence. They must halt the killings, the maiming and the looting of foreigners’ shops in their country. These incidents of xenophobia will provoke reprisals against South Africans and their interests in other lands. 

“Thus, beginning with the belligerent Zulu King, all South Africans involved in these attacks should be arrested immediately and prosecuted for crimes against humanity.”

When asked what he and his men will do in case the attack does not stop, he said:

“South Africa has many business interests in Nigeria but of course, you do not expect me to reveal what we will do until the time is right,” he replied.

SA policeman caught on camera smiling while woman burns to death

Thursday, April 16, 2015

At least five people have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in one of South Africa’s worst outbreaks of xenophobic violence in years, authorities said on Tuesday.

Most of the recent unrest occurred in and around the coastal city of Durban, where police said two foreigners and three South Africans were killed.

The dead included a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly shot during looting on Monday night and died at a hospital, police colonel Jay Naicker said.

In this disturbing pic, a South African police officer is seen smiling at the camera while the body of a suspected foreigner is gruesomely charred to death in the xenophobic attack