For many Nigerians, the word xenophobia is not an abstract political term.
It is a story about a shop attacked in Johannesburg.
A Nigerian trader suddenly wondering whether it is safe to open his business.
A family back home watching videos of violence against foreigners and asking the same uncomfortable question: What happens if it is my brother, sister, husband or child over there?
So when South Africa’s Consul-General in Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, was asked about the longstanding allegations of xenophobic attacks against foreigners in his country, many Nigerians would probably have expected a carefully worded diplomatic response.
Instead, Moroe delivered a sentence guaranteed to ignite debate.
“There’s no xenophobia in South Africa.”
And just like that, an old and deeply sensitive argument was reopened.
‘There’s No Xenophobia In South Africa’
Moroe made the controversial assertion during an interview on Nigeria Info FM while responding to questions about the safety of Nigerians and other African nationals living in South Africa.
The diplomat maintained that the South African government does not tolerate attacks against foreigners and insists that everyone within the country’s borders deserves protection.
Whether a person is South African or a foreign national, Moroe said, violence against them should be condemned.
“As a government, we condemn abuse of any individuals, whether South African or foreigner, even if you are illegal.”
He went further, stressing that immigration status should not determine whether someone deserves protection.
“Whether you are legal or illegal, you have a right according to the South African Constitution for protection.”
On paper, that sounds reassuring.
But the controversy lies in the first sentence.
If attacks against foreigners are not xenophobia, then what exactly should they be called?
The Word Nigerians Cannot Easily Forget
For years, reports of attacks against migrants in South Africa have created anxiety across Nigeria.
Nigerians living and doing business there have sometimes found themselves caught in wider tensions involving unemployment, poverty, crime, immigration and competition for economic opportunities.
The violence has also periodically spilled into diplomatic relations between Abuja and Pretoria.
For Nigerians, therefore, the issue is bigger than terminology.
It is about whether a Nigerian living thousands of kilometres away from home can work, trade, study and build a life without becoming a target simply because of his nationality.
Moroe acknowledged that Nigerians have legitimate concerns.
But he rejected the idea that South Africa should automatically be labelled xenophobic whenever foreigners are attacked.
Moroe Turns The Question Back On Nigeria
At one point during the interview, the South African diplomat drew a comparison with Nigeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants.
He referenced the historic episode popularly remembered as “Ghana Must Go”, when undocumented West African migrants, particularly Ghanaians, were expelled from Nigeria in the 1980s.
Moroe appeared to use the example to argue that hostility towards migrants is not unique to South Africa.
The comparison, however, is likely to generate its own debate.
There is a crucial distinction between a government’s enforcement of immigration laws and mob attacks against foreign nationals.
But Moroe’s broader argument was clear: South Africa should not be singled out whenever tensions involving migrants occur.
‘Xenophobia’ Has Become Synonymous With South Africa, Envoy Says
Moroe also challenged what he described as the disproportionate association between xenophobia and South Africa.
According to him, similar hostility towards foreigners in other countries does not always attract the same label.
“The nomenclature xenophobia has become synonymous with South Africa.”
He pointed to incidents involving foreigners in other African countries, arguing that such situations are often described differently.
That raises another uncomfortable question.
Has South Africa become the face of African xenophobia because it genuinely experiences more high-profile anti-foreigner violence, or because the international spotlight has simply become more intense?
There is room for debate.
But there is also a danger in reducing the issue to a competition over which country has behaved worse.
A Nigerian migrant who is attacked does not become safer because someone can point to another country where foreigners have also been mistreated.
Poverty May Explain Anger — But Does It Excuse Violence?
Moroe acknowledged that some South Africans are dealing with serious economic pressures, including unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Those conditions can fuel resentment towards immigrants, particularly when foreigners are accused — sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly — of competing with locals for jobs and business opportunities.
But economic hardship presents an explanation, not a justification.
A person struggling to find work does not gain the right to attack another person because that person was born across a border.
And this is where the debate becomes particularly complicated.
South Africa has one of the continent’s largest and most diversified economies, but it also faces deep inequality and unemployment. Foreign nationals can become convenient targets when citizens are frustrated with problems that are ultimately much larger than immigration.
Blaming the migrant is often easier than confronting the structural problem.
What Happens To The Nigerian In The Middle?
Consider the Nigerian entrepreneur who has spent years building a small business in South Africa.
He may employ local workers.
He may pay rent and taxes.
His children may attend South African schools.
He may have built friendships and relationships that make the country feel like home.
Then a wave of anti-foreigner sentiment begins.
Suddenly, his nationality becomes a liability.
That is the human dimension sometimes lost in diplomatic language.
To governments, the issue can become about immigration policy, bilateral relations, economic statistics and constitutional obligations.
To an ordinary migrant, it can be much simpler: “Will I be safe when I leave my house tomorrow?”
Nigeria And South Africa Cannot Afford Another Diplomatic Fire
The relationship between Nigeria and South Africa is too important to be reduced to recurring accusations and diplomatic defensiveness.
The two countries are among Africa’s most influential political and economic powers.
Their citizens travel between them.
Their businesses operate across borders.
And their people share cultural, economic and historical connections that stretch far beyond the occasional diplomatic crisis.
That makes the xenophobia debate particularly sensitive.
Pretending the concerns do not exist will not make them disappear.
At the same time, treating every crime involving a foreigner as evidence of a state-sponsored campaign of xenophobia can oversimplify a much more complicated reality.
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There is a middle ground.
Governments can enforce immigration laws and protect migrants.
Citizens can demand jobs and better living conditions without attacking foreigners.
Politicians can address economic frustration without turning migrants into scapegoats.
And diplomats can acknowledge uncomfortable realities without dismissing the experiences of the people affected.
The Real Question Behind Moroe’s Statement
Perhaps the most important issue raised by Moroe’s comments is not whether South Africa should carry the label “xenophobic.”
The bigger question is whether African countries are prepared to confront the growing tensions created by migration, unemployment, inequality and economic frustration.
Because today’s target may be a Nigerian in Johannesburg.
Tomorrow, it could be a Ghanaian in another African capital.
A South African trader could equally find himself on the receiving end somewhere else.
Borders may divide countries, but economic frustration travels.
So does fear.
And so does the temptation to blame the outsider.
Moroe insists that “there’s no xenophobia in South Africa.”
For many Nigerians who have heard stories of attacks against their compatriots, however, the more important demand may be different: Call it whatever you want — just make sure the next Nigerian who walks into a South African street can walk back home safely.