Nigerians returning home from South Africa under a voluntary repatriation programme have recounted experiences of xenophobia, intimidation, and economic hardship, describing how growing hostility towards foreign nationals forced them to abandon lives they had spent years building.
The accounts were shared during a special report by media entrepreneur and host of the viral talk show #WithChude, Chude Jideonwo, who travelled to South Africa as part of a special coverage.
At the Nigerian High Commission in Johannesburg, Nigeria’s Consul General, Ambassador Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, said many of those seeking repatriation had become stranded and lacked the resources to return to Nigeria on their own.
“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.
According to her, officials carried out profiling and clearance procedures in the days leading up to the evacuation to facilitate the safe return of the affected Nigerians.
Among those preparing to leave was a Nigerian man who said life in South Africa had taken a dramatic turn after years of relative stability.
“Suddenly, the hatred began and we were told to go home,” he said.
Another returnee disclosed that he lost valuable assets amid the growing hostility.
“Currently, my two properties have been hijacked. I was threatened with a gun,” he said.
A viral video circulating online showed a South African woman declaring: “I hate foreigners and the government is doing nothing about it.”
In another exchange on immigration, a South African woman argued that the country could not “allow our country to be overtaken by foreign nationals and do nothing about it,” while another speaker said South Africa must avoid “collapsing the same way that other African countries have failed their citizens.”
The tensions have also affected non-Nigerian migrants. A Congolese woman who arrived in South Africa as a child after her family fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo said she frequently feels unwelcome.
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Recalling one of her most traumatic experiences, she said she and other foreign nationals were tear-gassed while seeking protection and assurances from authorities.
“I was very, very scared, to be honest. I still hear the echo of the tear gas because I was also affected,” she said.
Despite the hardships they described, many of the Nigerians boarding the repatriation flight expressed relief at the prospect of returning home.
“We are going home with happiness, to enjoy ourselves and see our family. All this killing is over,” one returnee said.
When Jideonwo asked a Nigerian woman whether she would miss the life she had built in South Africa, her response was brief but telling.
“Which life?” she replied.
For many of those returning home, the answer reflected years of fear, loss, and uncertainty.
As xenophobic tensions continue to shape the experiences of foreign nationals in South Africa, the stories of those leaving underscore the difficult choices many migrants face in their search for safety, dignity, and a sense of belonging.
