More than 1,000 Nigerians living in South Africa have applied for government-assisted repatriation as xenophobic attacks and growing anti-immigrant sentiment have pushed members of the Nigerian community to abandon years of investment and economic activity in Africa’s most industrialized economy.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that 1,094 Nigerians had registered for the voluntary repatriation scheme, a dramatic increase from the 130 applicants recorded when the program was introduced barely a month earlier. Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said Nigerian and South African authorities were conducting a joint verification exercise to determine the eligibility of applicants before evacuation arrangements were concluded, and that South African authorities had agreed to waive certain immigration-related penalties for those approved.

The surge in applications followed renewed anti-foreigner protests and violent attacks that left several people dead and forced hundreds to flee their homes. Attacks in the coastal town of Mossel Bay claimed lives and destroyed dozens of homes, with Mozambican authorities confirming some of their citizens were among the victims.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the attacks and pledged to dispatch special envoys across Africa to reassure partner countries, but critics said repeated condemnations had done little to prevent recurring violence that has claimed dozens of lives over many years. Nigeria and South Africa, Africa’s two largest economies, have experienced periodic diplomatic tensions over xenophobic attacks, most recently in 2019 when widespread violence triggered retaliatory protests in Nigeria and led to the evacuation of hundreds of Nigerians.

Analysts warned that the growing exodus could have significant economic and diplomatic consequences, given that thousands of Nigerians contribute to South Africa’s economy through businesses, professional services, and skilled labour, and that remittances from migrants in the country remain an important income source for families in Nigeria. For many of the more than 1,000 who registered to return, the decision represented the collapse of economic dreams built over years of migration.