“My two properties have been hijacked. I was threatened with a Gun”- Nigerian recounts Xenophobic attacks in South Africa On #WithChude

Media entrepreneur and host of the viral talk show #WithChude, Chude Jideonwo, travelled to South Africa as part of the Arise News Special in collaboration with #WithChude, joining the only media team granted access to follow Nigerians returning home through a voluntary repatriation programme. Behind the evacuation are the stories of Nigerians who say they have endured growing hostility, financial hardship and uncertainty, forcing many to make the difficult decision to leave the lives they had built behind.

At the High Commission, Nigeria's Consul General in Johannesburg, AMB. Ninikanwa O. Okey-Uche, explained that many Nigerians seeking voluntary repatriation had become stranded, with no means of returning home. "We have a lot of people in South Africa who just want to go home. They're stranded, they're destitute, they don't have enough money to go home," she said. In the days leading up to the evacuation, officials worked through profiling and clearance processes to ensure their safe return.

Among those preparing to leave was a Nigerian man who spoke about how quickly life changed. After years in South Africa, he said, "Suddenly the hatred began and we were told to go home."

Another Nigerian recounted losing what he had spent years building. "Currently, my two properties have been hijacked. I was threatened with a gun," he said.

In a viral clip circulating online, a South African woman openly declared, "I hate foreigners and the government is doing nothing about it," a statement that reflects the growing hostility many foreign nationals say they face in the country. In another heated exchange on immigration, a South African woman insisted, "We cannot allow our country to be overtaken by foreign nationals and do nothing about it." Another speaker argued that South Africa must not "collapse the same way that other African countries have failed their citizens."

The growing tensions have left many foreign nationals living in fear. A Congolese woman who came to South Africa as a child after her family fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo said she is constantly reminded that she is not wanted. Recalling one of her most frightening experiences, she said she and other foreign nationals were tear-gassed while seeking protection and assurance from authorities. "I was very, very scared, to be honest," she said. "I still hear the echo of the tear gas because I was also affected."

Yet for many of the Nigerians boarding the flight home, the dominant feeling was relief. One returnee looked ahead to seeing his loved ones again. "We are going home with happiness, to enjoy ourselves and see our family. All this killing is over," he said.

Then came a simple question.

Would she miss her life in South Africa? When Chude asked a Nigerian woman if she would miss the life she had built there, she replied quietly:

"Which life?"

This response seemed to capture the experience of many on board.

As xenophobic tensions continue to shape the experiences of many foreign nationals in South Africa, the stories of those returning home have once again drawn attention to the fear, loss and uncertainty many say they have endured, and the difficult choices they are forced to make in search of safety.