One year after Xenophobic Attacks: Strengthening Bilateral Relations between Nigeria and South Africa through Tourism

By Mustapha Kurfi

Nigeria and South Africa are two of the largest nations on the African continent, with different historical antecedents yet sharing multiple attributes of post-colonial state. While Nigeria has a population of about 150 million people, South Africa has about 50 million; Nigeria underwent the Civil war while South Africa witnessed the apartheid regime. The struggle for independence and the fight against apartheid were causes that African nations, Nigeria at the forefront, took upon themselves as the clarion call to obey. Both Nigeria and South Africa are countries that have had many things that bind their bilateral relations together including the long-lasting relationship between the leaders of the both countries, like Obasanjo and Mbeki as well as Yar Adua and Zuma in recent times. Another prominent example is in the area of telecommunications, where MTN - a company proudly owned by South African merchants - takes the lead as the largest service provider in Nigeria.

A Daily Trust article (July 24th 2009) reported on the interest of the South African based firm - Portfolio Pharmaceuticals Limited - in investing in Nigeria to set up a Paracetamol Powder industry. This investment would make Nigeria the second leading producer of the powder in Africa. Speaking in Abuja during a visit to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) led by the Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, Buba Marwa, the Chief Executive Officer of the company Dr. Desai said Paracetamol is the largest single drug in the world. He added, “Our plan is to manufacture Paracetamol powder in Nigeria and sell it to the drug manufacturers in the country. Nigeria has about 30-40 companies producing the tablet but they buy the powder from China, India and Europe.” The Portfolio Pharmaceuticals’ production capacity will be between 100-200 tons per month, and it hopes to meet up with the Nigerian demand as well export the product to other African countries. It is important for this project to succeed as there is a future plan to bring in equipment that will expand to the manufacturing of anti-malaria, tuberculosis and diabetic drugs. This will go a long way in strengthening the bilateral relationship between the countries, providing job opportunities to curb the unemployment rate, improving professionalism in the pharmaceutical industries and curtailing the cost of importing drugs among other things.

The Nigerian Tribune (18th March 2009) published an article titled “NTDC to Partner with S/Africa” In this article, the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Otunba Olusegun Runsewe stressed the need for Nigeria and South Africa to collaborate on tourism development. The NTDC helmsman in Abuja led his management team on a courtesy visit to the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Mamabola. Mr. Runsewe told the High Commissioner that “the visit was necessary considering the long standing relationship between Nigeria and South Africa and the need to explore the three aspects of tourism such as Eco tourism, sports and conference tourism which both countries are endowed with.” In addition, the visit is an opportunity to meet with the crème de la crème of South Africa tourism and would open up another opportunity for development. The diplomatic network is very important considering South Africa as one of the very strong tourism countries in Africa for the proposed tour. It is important and relevant to ask, how can the World Cup of next year hosted by South Africa begin the first step to achieving these three objectives?

Both Nigeria and South Africa are football-loving countries, and Nigeria has the highest number of Africans in the European League. It is hoped that Nigeria would be one of the countries carrying Africa’s pride in the World’s greatest soccer tournament. Considering the xenophobic attacks in which Africans (a large number being Nigerians and Zimbabweans) were victims, how do Nigerians perceive South Africa as the host of the event? Have those wounds caused by the xenophobic attacks been healed? Both countries could synergize in diverse areas of mutual benefits, considering their strength in Africa. With Nigeria being the largest economy in West Africa and South Africa being the largest economy in the continent; both nations would be vastly improved as well Africa as a whole through such a collaboration.

The World Cup provides a spectacular opportunity for these two nations to join hands in displaying Africa’s diversity. Cooperation between these nations is not limited to football only as Mr. Runsewe mentioned that there were 30 golf courses in Johannesburg alone and that NTDC hosted golfers last year in Abuja as part of its efforts to promote the game, adding that, “basically, we believe we can work together. These relations are even more important at this time as South Africa is still mending the wounds of the xenophobic attacks previously mentioned. Admittedly, the root cause of the xenophobic attacks by South Africans was poverty, can tourism mend these relations?

How can Africans at large regain the confidence they had prior to then xenophobic attack? Can the World cup serve as a convenient ground to accommodate and deal with xenophobia, especially on the minds of the victims and their fellow citizens? What more do governments of these nations need to do to further strengthen their relationships, especially during the World cup tournament? What is the role of the civil society in ensuring peaceful co-existence before, during, and after the tournament vis-à-vis the xenophobic attack?

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Health and Sports: Should we compromise?

By Bose Maposa

A South African doctor commenting about the health system in South Africa in the Salud! documentary a few years ago advised spectators that they should “enjoy the soccer but just don’t get hurt on the field, there might not be anybody to look after you”. One of the main questions arising from the Confederations Cup, asked by Siphokazi Magadla in the previous blog article 'The politics of the VUVUZELA: the tough questions of an African World Cup' was: how should Africans use this forum provided by this soccer World Cup to re-negotiate their African identity in all its multifaceted terms: the political, the socio-cultural and the economic? She noted that before the question of the Vuvuzela came about, the biggest worries for the South African 2010 organizing team was their readiness to host the event, worries which included the capacity and safety of the stadiums, the safety of supporters and the battle against crime.

However, recent events have given the discussion a new direction. Today marks the sixth day of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) backed construction workers strike that saw the construction of many World Cup stadiums come to a halt. Amongst the workers' complaints are low pay, and, dangerous and unhealthy working conditions. A BBC article reported that Danny Jordan, head of the World Cup organizing committee, said he respected the right of the workers to strike and also added that "the construction workers have been the lifeblood of the 2010 FIFA World Cup project". The South African Mail & Guardian reported the indefinite strike as the biggest industrial action since new President Jacob Zuma took office in May. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the action by about 70 000 workers would continue until employers gave in to their demand for a 13% pay rise. "COSATU, and the construction workers, are as passionate about the 2010 World Cup as anyone, and will do everything possible to ensure its success. But we will not tolerate the stadiums being built by workers who are underpaid or working in dangerous or unhealthy conditions," it said in a statement.

The NY Times also did its share of reporting in the article 'World Cup in Africa Stumbles' - not that as Africans we do not take pride in one of our countries hosting the World Cup, but would it kill you to add 5 more letters i.e. South? It is the South African construction workers that are on strike, let’s not perpetuate the ignorance. It is hard to imagine that the same newspaper would have referred to strikes in the last World Cup in Germany as “World Cup in Europe stumbles.” Or even the World Cup in South Korea, as “World Cup in Asia stumbles,” yet it remains acceptable for the media to make such references to African countries. Nonetheless, here lies a subject for another day.

The most striking aspect of the articles was the health aspect. The main problem with this particular sector is that though it forms the backbone of all other sectors and aspects of the lives of citizens, these other sectors overwhelmingly influence it. Health is affected by education, economics, politics, housing, working conditions but the health sector itself has little authority over these aspects. Maternal and child health is greatly affected by the level of education of the mother; nonetheless, just for the mere fact that one is healthy it does not directly translate to their level of education. Workers' working conditions and wages affect their health and the quality of healthcare that they receive. If indeed the workers are the ‘lifeblood’ of the project, can we afford to survive with unhealthy blood? It’s doubtful! It is time we give health its due respect. Health is a basic human right.

The construction workers are on strike because of the health hazard that confronts them. Though no one, especially Africans, would like to see anything hindering the success of the World Cup, it is plausible that the workers seize the moment and the opportunity to demand their basic right. Sport is a very powerful negotiating tool. It is said that President Nixon used table tennis as a key diplomatic ploy in his opening negotiations with the Chinese Government. Protesting against racial inequality in the US, John Carlos and Tommie Smith accepted their medals bare-footed, wearing beads, and gave the “Black Power” salute while on the Olympic victory podium at the Mexico City games. A political stance by the international community came as a protest against South Africa’s apartheid regime and thus saw the banning of South Africa from international sporting events in the late seventies. If indeed this strike will allow for a better working environment and thus a healthier lifestyle, then let it be so. This one simple act has the potential to change the public policy making process and its implementation.

If South Africa is to prove that it has made great strides towards democracy and improving the lives of all its citizens; if it is to prove that it is capable of hosting the World Cup; if it is to prove itself capable of state-of-the-art stadiums, then it must also prove that it is capable of meeting one of the fundamental rights of all its citizens: the right to healthy and safe working conditions. Let it not concentrate only on making the visitors happy but also use this platform to boost and improve the lives of its citizens. Let South Africa not forget that it received the opportunity to host the World Cup due to the confidence in its labor force. The visitors of the World Cup will come and go; the workers however, will be there to further carry the dreams of hosting another World Cup. How much sacrifice should workers make for the World Cup to succeed and at what cost? These are our unsung heroes.

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