South Africa and Nigeria have agreed to rebuild trust and de-escalate diplomatic tensions after weeks of anti-migrant protests, xenophobic rhetoric and security concerns strained relations between Africa’s two largest economies.
The agreement was reached during talks in Abuja between South Africa’s International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, acting as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoy, and a high-level Nigerian delegation appointed by President Bola Tinubu.
The meeting comes as Pretoria seeks to reassure key African partners that recent anti-immigrant violence and growing public frustration over crime will not derail ties with countries whose citizens live and work in South Africa.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and most populous country, and South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, are among Africa’s biggest trading and investment partners, making stable diplomatic relations critical for regional economic cooperation.
The Abuja visit followed a similar mission to Ghana, where Lamola met President John Mahama as part of Ramaphosa’s broader diplomatic outreach to repair relations with West African nations unsettled by recent protests and attacks targeting foreign nationals.
According to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), both governments agreed to cool inflammatory rhetoric, reject xenophobia and strengthen diplomatic engagement to address migration and public safety concerns.
“Both delegations agreed on the urgent need to de-escalate inflammatory rhetoric in public discourse and prevent hostile actions,” Dirco said.
Lamola reiterated that South Africa “unequivocally condemns all forms of xenophobia, racism, discrimination and related intolerance,” while stressing that criminal activity should be addressed through law enforcement rather than vigilante attacks against foreign nationals.
During the talks, Lamola outlined three issues that have heightened tensions between the two countries.
The first concerned the installation earlier this year of an unrecognised figure described as an “Igbo King” in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, which Pretoria said raised constitutional questions around traditional leadership.
The second involved the role of some foreign nationals in organised crime, drug trafficking and financial fraud. Lamola said more than 500 Nigerian citizens had passed through South Africa’s criminal justice system as of July 7, arguing that the figures underscored the need for stronger security cooperation.
The third related to alleged resistance to law enforcement in hijacked buildings in Johannesburg’s Hillbrow district and Pretoria’s Sunnyside area, which authorities said had become centres of criminal activity affecting both South Africans and foreign residents.
Lamola acknowledged that these incidents had fuelled negative perceptions of Nigerians living in South Africa but stressed that arrests were based on evidence against individuals rather than profiling an entire community.
The Nigerian delegation agreed that offenders should be held accountable but called for due process and the humane treatment of detainees.
Both governments reaffirmed that bilateral diplomacy and Pan-African solidarity remain the best path to resolving disputes over migration and security. They also pledged to expand formal diplomatic engagement and security cooperation to prevent tensions from escalating further.
Investigations into the Hillbrow and Sunnyside cases are continuing, with South African authorities saying further arrests remain possible.
Why it matters: The diplomatic reset helps ease tensions between two countries that account for a significant share of sub-Saharan Africa’s economic output.
Improved relations could support trade, investment and regional cooperation at a time when Africa is pushing for deeper economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
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