A Bond That Must Never Be Broken: South African Minister, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s Alarming Words
The Oasis Reporters
August 4, 2026
by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode
The truth is that whatever the Minister of Justice of South Africa or anyone else says, the import of Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s words is alarming.
Surely we must prioritize respectful dialogue between our two nations in an attempt to strengthen bilateral relations and put our collective enemies to shame.
We consider South Africa to be an ally, a respected fellow African country and an important trading partner and one wonders why Minister in the presidency Ntshaveni harbours such ill-will towards us.
There is no doubt that some Nigerians are involved in crime, including drug dealing, in South Africa just as some South Africans indulge in crimes in nations outside their own, but the insidious innuendo that ALL Nigerians in South Africa are drug dealers is false and unacceptable.
Racial stereotyping is dangerous and demonising an entire race and referring to them as drug dealers is provocative.
South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world and has been described as the “world’s homicide capital” (58 South Africans are murdered per day) but that does not mean that it is rational or acceptable to label ALL South Africans as murderers.
South Africa has the highest rate of HIV in the world but that does not mean that all South Africans are irresponsible or careless and it would be a gratuitous insult for anyone to say so.
Divisive comments like those coming from Minister in the Presidency, Ntshaveni can be expected from the afrophobes in organisations like March on March but certainly not from South African Government officials.
Permit me to remind the Minister in the Presidency that there are no less than 120 South African companies operating successfully and that are making millions of dollars in Nigeria and no South African company or national has ever been persecuted, threatened or subjected to racial stereotyping in our country.
According to Ralph Mupita, the Chief Executive Officer of the MTN Group, 82% of his company’s revenue is generated from outside of South Africa and in Africa with only 12% generated from within South Africa itself.
He argued that Pan-African economic integration and co-operation and not isolation are essential for the continent’s future growth and prosperity.
He is right and it is clear that such “economic integration and cooperation” is equally important to the economic growth and prosperity of MTN itself given the fact that the company makes no less than 12 million USD per day in Nigeria alone!
To lose the Nigerian market would diminish the fortunes of MTN and it’s South African shareholders.
And there are many other South African companies in Nigeria such as Multichoice, DSTV, GOTV, Showmax, Shoprite, Standard Bank,
Stanbic IBTC and others whose fortunes are equally blessed.
If nothing else, does that not prove to Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and those that think like her that we are not a nation that has nothing to offer?
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is
a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, a former Minister of Aviation and the Ambassador-Designate of Nigeria to South Africa
