Nigerians
and other foreign nationals resident in South Africa’s Keimoes and Upington
areas of Northern Cape Province were yesterday morning given 12 hours to vacate
by the indigenes.
The
President of Nigeria Union in South Africa, Adetola Olubajo, made the
disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
yesterday in Lagos. Olubajo said the development was as a result of an ugly
incident that took place on Wednesday between a police officer and a Nigerian.
He said that
the Nigerian man, an indigene of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, allegedly stabbed
to death the police officer, Nico Visagie, during a disagreement at 5:00 a.m.
Olubajo said
the details of the disagreement were still not very clear as the major witness
was also stabbed multiple times and was still in critical condition at the
hospital.
“After the
horrific incident, the community members of Keimoes and environs went on
rampage burning and destroying properties belonging to foreign nationals,
Nigerians in particular.
“These
attacks spread to Upington and Nigerians and other foreign nationals were also
expelled from Upington.
Prompt
police intervention yesterday brought about calm but the situation is still
tensed. Some locals were arrested by the police for public disturbance and malicious
damage to properties.
He added
that the suspect who stabbed the police officer had been arrested and would
appear in court on or before next Monday.
Keimoes is a
town in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It lies on the Orange River
and is about halfway between Upington and Kakamas.
There was
tension in August last year following xenophobic attacks in South Africa and
reprisals in Nigeria.
