Xenophobia: 397 Nigerians Cleared for Evacuation from South Africa as Screening Continues

Xenophobia: 397 Nigerians Cleared for Evacuation from South Africa as Screening Continues

A total of 397 Nigerian nationals are currently undergoing mandatory screening to voluntarily return home, as rising xenophobic tensions and anti-foreigner campaigns continue to spread across South Africa.

The screening exercise, which commenced on Thursday and is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, is being jointly supervised by the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Home Affairs, and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

The President of the Nigeria Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), Reverend Frank Onyekwelu, disclosed the figure on Friday. He explained that while more than 600 Nigerians had initially applied to return home citing various reasons, only 397 have been cleared for evacuation following the completion of the initial vetting process.

The development comes amid growing safety concerns for foreign nationals in several provinces, where recent anti-immigrant rhetoric has led to fears of potential attacks. Authorities are expected to announce the next steps for the cleared individuals once the screening exercise officially ends on Sunday.