The president of South Africa’s Inizwe Nathi Party, Thabile Sibeko, has described Nigerians as ‘horrible’ people as the federal government intensified efforts to repatriate its citizens from the country amid xenophobic attacks. 

Ms Sibeko stated this while speaking to News Central TV in South Africa, noting that she wanted to bid farewell to Nigerians, with hundreds of them set to be evacuated to Nigeria. 

The politician claimed that Nigerians committed many crimes in South African including drug dealing, which she said led South Africans to build resentment towards the citizens of the West African nation. 

“I am here to bid farewell to Nigeria to make sure that they are leaving our country and to say to them bye bye Nigeria. Thank you for all you contributed to our country. We didn’t appreciate the wrongs that you have done and we hope that you have learned a lesson,” Ms Sibeko stated. 

She added, “We want to encourage them when they go to other countries, they must take care of other countries. We got zombies in our children on the streets because of them. That has cut deep into our hearts and that has made us resent them with all that we have. We hope that they take a safe journey. Next time they come, they will know South Africans love their people and country.”

Speaking further, Ms Sibeko described Nigerians as the worst set of migrants in South Africa, while praising foreigners from other countries for respecting South African society. 

“To others, we say thank you for being here, especially those who took care of our country but Nigerians, particularly, it is because of their behaviour and the evil that which they have done in our country. They have killed our children with drugs and that is the reason we are so strong on Nigeria because of their behaviour. 

“Others are better, they live among our people, in our community, they take care of our things and are not as horrible as Nigeria is. Nigeria is horrible, these people are horrible,” she added. 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, announced in a statement on Thursday that 262 Nigerian nationals were expected to be the first batch of evacuees to arrive in Lagos today. 

“On this day, 11th June 2026, the first batch of our Nationals who are being evacuated from South Africa as a result of the Xenophobic attacks against African migrants taking place in that country, will touch down on Nigerian Soil,” Ms Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted. 

The minister added “There are 262 Nigerian nationals and three officials on board the aircraft in addition to the airline crew, and the evacuation flight departed this morning from Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.”

On Thursday, 258 Nigerians aboard the special evacuation flight operated by Air Peace Airline arrived at the International Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, at 10.25 a.m.

Recall that amid xenophobic attacks in South Africa, at least two Nigerians were killed while other suffered attacks on their property and businesses.

Besides, Nigerian community leaders in South Africa noted that 105 of their compatriots were killed in seven years in rainbow nation.