‘South Africa must be grateful to Nigeria for defeating apartheid’
'Apartheid is one dark era in the history of SA that the country should be eternally grateful to Nigeria for her role in bringing the era to an end...'
FILE PICTURE: An anti-xenophobia activist stands chained in front of a banner, as thousands of people get ready to march against the xenophobic attacks in South Africa through the streets of Johannesburg CBD on April 23, 2015. President Jacob Zuma pledged to tackle xenophobia in South Africa as troops were sent in to support police in a crackdown against attacks on immigrants that have left at least seven people dead. AFP PHOTO/GIANLUIGI GUERCIA
The ongoing attacks on Nigerian nationals in some parts of South Africa were a “criminal ingratitude” by South Africa to the role played by Nigeria in liberating the country, an analyst has said.
“Apartheid is one dark era in the history of South Africa that the country should be eternally grateful to Nigeria for her role in bringing the era to an end at the time it did,” said Nigerian analyst Jude Ndukwe.
Ndukwe said Nigeria was the first country to provide direct financial aid to the now-ruling African National Congress from the 1960s, while in the 1970s, Nigeria supported the ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) with an annual subvention of $5 million to help them in the struggle.
Nigeria set up a programme to cater specifically for their educational needs and general welfare through the Southern Africa Relief Fund (SAFR), to which then-president General Olusegun Obasanjo contributed $3.7 million.
Obasanjo made a personal donation of $3 000, while every member of his cabinet made donations of $1 500 each to the South African cause.
Ndukwe added civil servants gave two percent of their income to the fund, then known as the “Mandela Tax”.
“Students joyfully skipped their lunch at school just to be able to contribute to the fund.”
Ndukwe said in six months’ time, the fund had amassed $10.5 million sent to the South Africans. According to SAFR, 86 South African students were educated in Nigeria for free.
Ndukwe said it was estimated Nigeria spent well over $61 billion between 1960 and 1995 to help fight apartheid and bring about democracy in South Africa.
“Yet when the South African icon Nelson Mandela died, it was the leaders of the Western nations that had turned their backs on South Africa in their times of need that were given prominent roles and front seats, while Nigeria and other African countries were relegated to obscurity,” said Ndukwe.
He said if South Africa wanted to be “ungrateful” to Nigeria, it should at least not kill Nigerians.
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– ANA-CAJ
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