A statement from Foreign Affairs Ministry stated Acting High Commissioner Martin Cobham and Deputy High Commissioner Uche Ajulu-Okeke were on Saturday recalled for consultations. But, South Africa has criticised Nigeria for recalling its ambassadors from the country following the spate of xenophobic attacks, which left no fewer than seven people dead. South Africa's Department of International Relations and Co-operation’s Spokesperson Clayson Monyela stated the decision to withdraw the two was an unfortunate and regrettable step. “If this action is based on the incidents of attacks on foreign nationals in some parts of our country, it would be curious for a sisterly country to want to exploit such a painful episode for whatever agenda,” he stated. Monyela, however, added that South Africa would not withdraw its high commissioner in Nigeria to reciprocate the action. He stated the South African government was not sure why the ambassador was recalled. “This stage, we are not sure which action by the South African government the Nigerian government is protesting. It’s important to underscore the fact that it’s only Nigeria that has taken this step. A Nigerian delegation, which attended an Africa-Asia Summit in Indonesia alongside Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa last week had at no stage made their intentions known about withdrawing their ambassadors. “South Africa remained committed to creating a strong bond and bilateral relations with Nigeria. “It is for this reason that when 84 of our citizens perished on Nigerian soil, we did not blame the Nigerian government for the deaths and more than nine months delay in the repatriation of the bodies of our fallen compatriots, or for the fact that when these bodies eventually returned, they were in a state that they could not be touched or viewed as required by our burial practice,” stated Monyela. The 84 were part of a group of 116 that were killed when a guest house of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, headed by TB Joshua, collapsed in September last year. As stated by Monyela, South Africa would raise its concerns through diplomatic channels with the new Nigerian administration, which will assume office next month. Monyela stated his country remained committed to maintaining friendly relations with Nigeria.
