South Africa has temporarily closed its embassy in Nigeria following the ongoing xenophobic crisis, Foreign Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor told Reuters.
She said South Africa was in constant contact with Nigerian authorities to try to restore calm, adding there is no provision in local law for compensation for damage caused in the attacks.
“There is an Afrophobia we are sensing that exists, there is resentment and we need to address that,” Ms Pandor said on the sidelines of a continental economic conference in Cape Town.
Background
The xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other nationals in Johannesburg, Pretoria and other cities have left several people dead and businesses and private properties burnt.
South African authorities say they are responding promptly to curb the violence. More than 70 persons have been reportedly taken into custody since Monday.
Nigerians have expressed outrage about the attacks, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to take decisive measures against South Africa.
The president sent an envoy to South Africa on Tuesday for an on-the-ground assessment of the situation.
On Wednesday, Nigeria recalled its Ambassador to South Africa, Kabiru Bala, and also pulled out of the World Economic Summit holding in Cape Town.
Meanwhile, some Nigerians have been attacking South African businesses in Lagos and other Nigerian cities in retaliation to the xenophobic attacks.
The Nigerian government has, however, cautioned its citizens to stop such attacks
