Senator Nfon Mukete IV Ekoko denounces the ongoing xenophobic attacks on African nationals in South Africa

“We contributed to the ANC, we supported them. There’s no question about that,” he said during an interview with Dash TV’s Darling Lyonga.

“It’s not just Cameroon. Nigeria was a massive supporter of the ANC. But today, when you have a situation where many African nations came together to support South Africa in its apartheid days, and today we are getting this sort of reaction, it’s a tragedy, it’s a shame, and it’s a disgrace,” he added.

Apartheid was a system of segregation in South Africa where blacks were treated as sub-human and deprived of basic human rights for nearly 50 years.

African nations strongly backed the African National Congress (ANC), which was fighting against the apartheid government, providing military training, financial aid, diplomatic pressure, and safe havens for exiled activists.

Nfon Mukete and millions of other Africans find it ironic today how African nationals are being asked to leave South Africa.

The traditional ruler, however, said it will be diplomatically “not right” for any country to throw stones at the South African government for attacks being masterminded by citizens against the government policy.

He said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government needs support to tackle the xenophobia crisis, which has seen massive uprisings by citizens against undocumented African migrants.

“President Ramaphosa has said he’s ashamed of it, he doesn’t support it. Even members of the opposition, politicians, are not in support of it. So you should be seeing ways of helping them to address a political problem in their hands—the problem of the masses who have the perception that foreigners have come to take their jobs,” Nfon Mukete added.

Senator Nfon Mukete IV Ekoko denounces the ongoing xenophobic attacks on African nationals in South Africa