Xenophobia: South Africans Value Dogs More Than Humans - Returnee Reveals

 

Oluwatosin Adeoye, one of the Nigerians evacuated from South Africa following xenophobic attacks in that country, tells SIMON UTEBOR that the xenophobes don’t value human lives

 

 

My name is Oluwatosin Adeoye. I am from Ogun State.

 

 

I was a caterer.

 

 

I returned because South African citizens burnt my shop in Johannesburg.

 

 

I was there for seven years.

 

 

It was horrible, horrendous and nightmarish. I blame myself for going to South Africa in the first place. I found out that all the things I had been doing for seven years went down the drains. I have nothing to show for the seven years I spent in South Africa. I have come back empty-handed.

 

 

I am a caterer; I know I can start from somewhere. I need help seriously. I am seriously downcast.

 

 

Yes, they responded quickly. They also promised to help us. If they can do that, I will be very happy.

 

 

I advise them to come back home. Even living in South Africa is tough. The money we make there, after paying rents and feeding, there is nothing left. It is not easy to send money back home to our parents. People are suffering there. Again, the lives of Nigerians there are at risk. They kill Nigerians there; they do not like us at all. They slaughter people like animals. It is an awful experience.

 

 

I was in Johannesburg. That city is something else. They take pleasure in killing Nigerians. They kill people like dogs; in fact, they value the lives of animals more than humans. They are the Devil incarnate. There is nothing in South Africa again but sorrow, despair, agony and tears. I advise Nigerians there to return home in their own interest.

 

 

The reason some of them give is that some of our Nigerian brothers are dealing in drugs, and engaging in criminality. But from the look of things, they are simply jealous of Nigerians. Some also say that our brothers are sleeping with their sisters and that their ladies no longer agree to date them because of Nigerian men.

 

 

I do not like their men. Most of their men are uncircumcised and how can one date such people? Also, they are lazy in bed – they can’t perform well. Again, they are lazy to do anything.

 

 

In fact, if I tell you the amount I lost, I will start crying because I know I cannot get it back.

 

 

They burnt my car, my shop and everything. I lost almost R100,000 (approximately N2.5m) in my shop.

 

Source: Punch