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Author Jackie Phamotse’s open letter to Ramaphosa: ‘Do you not understand the risks you have created in your agenda with Nigeria?’
Ramaphosa expressed his desire to see more Nigerian products on SA shelves and that visiting Nigerians are now able to apply for a visa without a passport.
Author Jackie Phamotse has written a scathing open letter directed at President Cyril Ramaphosa following the announcement of the simplified visa process for Nigerian nationals in South Africa. Picture: jackie_phamotse/Instagram
In an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, author Jackie Phamotse lambasted the head of state’s decision to relax visa laws for Nigerian nationals wanting to visit or do business in South Africa.
“Do you not understand the risks you have created in your agenda with Nigeria? When will we matter? Are you not a father? What about us?!” averred the one-page letter by Phamotse.
In his opening remarks at the 11th session of the SA-Nigeria Bi-National Commission in Cape Town on Tuesday; Ramaphosa expressed his desire to see more Nigerian products on South African shelves also adding that visiting Nigerians are now able to apply for a visa without submitting a passport.
Speaking to The Citizen on Wednesday, the author of the Bare series of books said the letter is to “formally inform him on our thoughts as the youth. All the decisions he’s been making don’t reflect well on us.”
Phamotse said it was imperative for the president to read the letter and understand it for what it is “…and also to highlight the ongoing social ills that we have that he has not really addressed and found plans to assist us with.”
His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa and His Excellency President BolaTinubu lead the dialogue at the South Africa – Nigeria Business RoundTable on the margins of the 11th Session of the BNC in Cape Town. #NigeriaInSA 🇳🇬🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/HpJLen1Hhu
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) December 3, 2024
Some of the ills Phamotse touched on in her open letter are unemployment, the crime rate — specifically the rise of human trafficking, and Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
Her Bare series of books explore the dark underworld of blessers and slay queens and human trafficking-the latter is something she extensively wrote about in the letter.
ALSO READ: Simplified visa process for Nigerians won’t compromise system, says SA Presidency
‘How is he helping South Africans?’
On Wednesday The Presidency released a statement which clarifies details about the simplified visa process for Nigerian nationals, saying this would “not compromise the integrity of the visa system”.
“This is part of the visa reforms initiated by the South African government to enable economic activities and boost tourism while protecting our national security,” The Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.
The Presidency wishes to clarify a misunderstanding that appears to have arisen from President @CyrilRamaphosa’s opening remarks at the SA-Nigeria Bi-National Commission yesterday (03 December 2024) about the simplified visa process for Nigerian nationals https://t.co/HLqKmEn6yw pic.twitter.com/B9KRydRcgn
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) December 4, 2024
In her letter Phamotse used shoe brand, Drip Footwear’s liquidation as a sign that local entrepreneurs need support.
“Our own entrepreneurs struggle to get these opportunities? Have you seen what’s happening with Drip? As a businessman, what did you do?” asked Phamotse in a letter released on Wednesday.
ALSO READ: ‘We want to see Nigerian products on shelves of SA shops’ – Ramaphosa [VIDEO]
No confidence in local businesses
Speaking to this publication Phamotse said she mentioned entrepreneurial challenges because small local businesses can’t access the big market.
“Drip has fallen and he did nothing as a businessman to aid that company.”
“Our own entrepreneurs are struggling to stay or even get into wholesalers and retailers. Those things are really important because he needs to find [a] way to educate young people [about] how they get into those spaces and how they stay there and what support is he gonna [sic] give us.”
Phamotse is a co-founder of energy drink MoFaya together with media personality DJ Sbu and the lesser-known partner Siphiwe Shongwe.
The writer who is currently under house arrest said Ramaphosa’s actions show the little confidence he has in local businesses.
“But also, he must understand what he’s doing to South Africans; it’s the lack of confidence that he has in us to have our own products to be on the shelf, assist us in having those products sold in South Africa.
“What regulations is he gonna [sic] have and put in place to make sure that it’s not illegal products that are on those shelves? I just feel this decision is abrupt and should be further investigated. How is he helping South Africans?”
ALSO READ: Author Jackie Phamotse found guilty in Kumalos case
‘Not xenophobic’
Phamotse said opposing the amendment of the Visa law wasn’t tantamount to xenophobia or Afrophobia.
“We just want to address our issue before we start inviting other nations into our country. It is important to isolate ourselves before we invite people,” she said.
“The high employment rate, the human trafficking in this country; opening borders to a country that does not have the right criminal justice system for their own human trafficking crimes is just horrific.”
Phamtose made mention of Nigeria’s history of cybercrimes. “We look at these things and we’re like ‘okay, what have they done in their own country that is beneficial to South Africa?’ it’s almost less to none.”
ALSO READ: Jackie Phamotse announces 11th book months after being sentenced to house arrest
16 Days of Activism against GBV
Throughout the letter, Phamotse associates the West African country with heinous crimes such as human trafficking and GBV.
In it, Phamotse said the ease of regulations will “open the floodgates for criminals to enter and operate freely.”
This happens as the country is commemorating 16 Days of Activism Against GBV.
“This is actually the right time to speak about these things because we fail to understand the impact of foreign nationals coming into South Africa. We have a human trafficking problem, we have a GBV problem, we have a drug problem-people coming into our airports with drugs, it’s reported on a daily basis.”
“For him to just allow other people to come in and almost erode what we’re trying to do to change social ills in South Africa, it’s almost undermining. He has not given us an agenda as to how he’s gonna [sic] fix these problems that we already have.”
The author who recently published The Tea Merchant said she hopes that the letter raises awareness and educates South Africans on Ramaphosa’s standpoint on international affairs.
“Also, we would like Cyril to take actions on points that have been listed in this letter and we would appreciate that he actually brings in other ministers into this conversation.”
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