South Africa, which in January, denied 20 Zambians aboard a CR Carriers bus entry into South Africa on grounds that they had fake yellow fever vaccination certificates, have picked up a same fight with Nigerian.
Reuters reports that Nigerian authorities are enraged after the authorities at Johannesburg airport deported 125 Nigerians, alleging their yellow fever vaccination certificates were fakes. Nigeria has responded with undisguised tit-for-tat deportations of 84 South Africans in the past two days, according to a senior official at the State Security Service who could not be named.
“South Africans will know we are very serious with this matter and that any deportation of any Nigerian, we will met it with equal reciprocal measure,” Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru told a hearing at the National Assembly late on Tuesday.
[pullquote]“What you see playing out is … xenophobia by South Africans against all Africans, not just Nigerians, including even those from their neighbouring countries,” he said.[/pullquote]
“What you see playing out is … xenophobia by South Africans against all Africans, not just Nigerians, including even those from their neighbouring countries,” he said.
A spokesman for South Africa’s home affairs department said the decision to deport the Nigerians stemmed purely from concerns about health.
“It’s not an immigration issue, it’s a health matter … Nobody without a yellow fever certificate is allowed into the country and that’s what this is,” said Ronnie Mamoepa.
Cards proving vaccination against yellow fever – a deadly mosquito-borne disease – are required by most African countries for entry. But they sometimes serve as a lever for immigration officials to obstruct travel or extort bribes.
Olugbenga warned that Nigeria could take broader retaliatory measures, including a clampdown on South African companies.
[pullquote]“Their companies here in Nigeria are making more profit than in South Africa. They bring in half-baked graduates and place them above better qualified Nigerians, and we have been overlooking that before now. There are many ways to hit back,” he told the Senate.[/pullquote]
“Their companies here in Nigeria are making more profit than in South Africa. They bring in half-baked graduates and place them above better qualified Nigerians, and we have been overlooking that before now. There are many ways to hit back,” he told the Senate.
Nigeria is the biggest market for South Africa’s MTN mobile operator. South Africa’s Shoprite and Standard Bank Group also have profitable operations in Nigeria.
Forged yellow fever vaccination certificates are easy to buy from hawkers at Lagos airport. Unlike many African countries, relatively developed South Africa has the facilities to check whether they are fake.
[Reuters]
Fire for Fire oga
…And on the eighth day, God made Nigerians. LOL.
Lolest
I am Christian am not supposed to laugh at this but wani tekunya hahahahahahahahahaha.
I trust those Nigerians. They will treat Ur f…ups INSTANTLY. Bravo Nigeria!
And what did we do as Zambian government in response to our 20 Zambians who were denied entry in to SA? Nothing.
Man G. Zambians apologised for having their nationals deported. We are the weakest nation in Africa. To us weakness is akin to humility. Shame
Docile Zambians, #2 wansekesha sana:d. How is this yellow fever in most parts of Africa and not South Africa. Balitumpa ama zulu aba.
What we need to do is stop the selling of fake yellow fever vaccination certificates at Inter-City Bus Terminus. Travellers should go to the clinics and get vaccinated instead of buying certificates at the station – which is what many are doing.
#3 You can’t compare Nigerians to Zambians. Nigerian has 150 million people, making it the largest market in Africa, Zambia has only 13 million. SA companies make more profits in Nigeria than in SA and that does not apply to Zambia.
So Nigeria has the market firepower at their disposal..
Having said the above senseless stuff, I think it is wrong fro South Africa to have denied Zambians entry if it can be established that their certificates were genuine.
It is being Xenophobic like the other day watched a news item were black Africans were targeted by the immigration authorities. That was racist. There are a lot of white illegals in South Africa who are not targeted just because they are white. This is wrong.
There 300 millions of Nigerians,about 4million in the uk.
I think African economies are well off now even to replace south African companies with others. let South Africa to it’s own devices and work together as African countries partnering with China, Russia, Brazil, India and other well meaning countries.
Given Lubinda: The Zambian Government did nothing because they knew the certificates were fake, People buy these cards in buses on the day of travel and yet you can only travel 7 days after vaccination, The problem with Nigerians coming to South Africa is that more than half of then are in dubious businesses.
Chief bootlicker! you are right Xenophobic tendencies are usually practised by Black people against their fellow blacks and yet they are thousands of illegal white people.
Thank God last summer,I was not stopped by these Xenophobic SA officials despite having used the fake yellow fever card i bought at Inter-City cos it would have spoiled a lot.Anyway,lesson learn’t here,its better to follow legal procedures.Indeed short cuts are wrong cuts.
Hehehe…hit them, oga! hit them!
The Zambian health system should be very efficient in carrying out and processing of these vaccinations/certificates. It is the inefficiency that drives people to get the fake ones!
Zambia should make sure they too have yellow fever injections and HIV/AIDS free from SA!!!!!
The law is the law, no exception. if your documents are fake, you will be declined entry, no exception. So if South Africans have got fake documents too, simply deny them entry instead of taking bribes and almost licking their feet(especially if its a white S.A person) and allowing them entry. Be like Botswana or just simply stick to the rules of law
im sorry bane but the certificates were probably fake. when you ppl stop trying to get into SA through the backdoor, you can ask the govt to get involved. the instructions are simple, get the freakin vaccine!!! period!
Clean up your house first, before you open your mouth. like someone here has said, if we followed procedure, we would have guts to talk, … and those scums from down there have got a lot of problems within, they don’t need extras i think! even with 13 M pipo, zambia is big!
Given is right, what South Africa is concerned with is health. Why not have proper documents? We travel world over and yellow fever is one health document one has to think about before you pack your bags. Given think about yellow fever here too, save our people. Health first and other things follow. Dr Kamoto Mbewe what do you say? PF stick to our laws
I WISH ZAMBIA HAD REACTED IN A SIMILAR MANNER. NIGERIANS YOU ARE GREAT.
This is not about ubukaka. Who asked you to allow South Africans into your countries without proper documentation? Stop doing favors for them and start doing like wise. They are doing their jobs rightfully, please do yours too. “No fear, No favor” thats the only way you will get respect, simple!
Viva Nigeria. Abash weak Zambia. We should have taken measures to restrict food import from SA and Shoprite would have been forces to get more food from Zambia than SA. See how heartless South African can be below
http: // http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fb3_1330716547
As other people have pointed out above, a “law is a law”. Let us not encourage something that we know is illegal.
However, our govt should engage the south Africans to let them NOT require this vaccination from Zedians, bcoz as far as WHO is concerned Zambia is not a high risk for yellow fever
I came into SA with a fake card.I bought it at intercity….!
aka ka flag kabufi..im in SA but its showing as if im in America…awe sure..
Very funny story but makes good news and our GRZ needs to observe this story with wide open eyes. What we do when our people in january on that bus got turned back by SA immigration because of suspicious of fake vaccin certificates? Nothing woth talking about. Nigeria is serious about this. And to even make this worth talking about, if you look at the ka stupit Yellow fever map above, you’ll see that Zambia is not even in the “high risk” zone. So, why the hell do we have to have this yellow fever to go to SA? I had a friend of mine turned away in november for the same reason in Joburg because he didn’t have his yellow fever thing coming from Zambia. Our government needs to show some muscle as well atase. Go my Naija brodas and sistas…UMUPONDO supports you.
Dear Zambians it seems the majority of you are just plain id.iots. There is nothing to praise about the foolish Nigerian action. The South Africans have a law. All travellers from WHO listed Yellow Fever countries are required to have an authentic Yellow fever vaccination 7 days prior to entering South Africa. The Zambians who were turned away at Beit Bridge and the 125 Nigerians did not observe this law. Anyway both Zambia and Nigeria are dysfunctional countries and you do not know anything about public health. South Africa should not be forced to take themselves down to the ‘African standards’ of the Nigerians and Zambians where defaecating in the streets is the order of the day!
You are bit backward young man.Did you know that SA is more corrupt than Zambia?
And by the way keep your low self esteem to yourself.
GRZ should protect health of Zambia too. Ask South Africans to have the yellow cards too.
SA is right they have the right to keep their country free of poverty related diseases. we cannot even export meat to anywhere out side except to DRC because of this same indiscipline of allowing diseased animals into our country. we should be more annoyed that zambia is allowing chaps from y fever areas to enter our country without appropriate screening. lets just do our sh.it right. for those who this SA can be ignored, am sure you have no idea ………………………………
#25, you are the BIGGEST *****. Look at the WHO map, is Zambia included? The reason the Zambias are also required to have this yellow fever vaccin is simply because, we are right next to countries that have a higher risk of yellow fever, e.g. Tanzania, Congo/DRC, Angola.
I have another friend from Namibia who travels to SA and they never asked for yellow fever vaccin. SAfricans discriminate and they forget that Zambia kept them when they were still under apartheid. Ma rubbish ala.
#26, you are right. Zambian government should also start protecting the health of our people. They shopuld start testing for HIV for anyone visiting from other countries include SA. You test POSITIVE, you don’t come in….hahahahahaha, how you love that SOUTH AFRICANS?
South Africa please maintain your resolve! Tell all Makwerekwere to either be vaccinated or they should keep their unwiped butts out of your country! Dont let yourselves be blackmailed by these mo.rons from failed states.
#28 Umupondo. You are typical average Zambian. Logic is not your forte. Do you ask visitors from your yellow fever neighbouring countries whether they have had a vaccination? The truth is you dont and therefore there is a big question mark about the health of Zambians. You have an open door policy without any concern for the health of your own public. Logically the South Africans dont want to take chances with you. Besides Zambia is a huge Mosquito country!Use your head you muppet! And please cut that nonsense about helping South Africans. It is no reason for them to let you go and spread disease and death in their country. Just get the damn Yellow Fever vaccination! OoSitoto!
You are yet to answer my question. Is Zambia listed as a yellow fever counry by WHO? As for me getting my yellow fever, well am not travelling to SA any time soon so, I don’t need to worry about it, travelling to Dubai through Kenya, they need my money more than SA, BYATCH!
And getting a genuine vaccination is difficult how?
what SA is doing is provocative and segregative. I have never heard of yellow fever in zambia in my 41 years stay what they should do if they think one is not vaccinated is to create a centre at their entry points and vaccinate at a fee. The last time i wnet for a vaccine a poster indicated excemptions for hiv positive people over 60 years adn i think children below 5 so I think oga is right to hit back and hit hard. In SA there is more poverty than most african countries if you look at the mad houses most africans live in its only that they are hidden from where visitors pass but watch e news and you will see the poverty these south africans where shitting in our back yards and they are not good to us including the second hand vehicle issue i wish we where nigeria to close shoprite and t
I faced this yellow fever problem back in 2000 in Nairabi,Kenya.And I was in transit only to Zambia with my wife and 2 children.I was not aware that if you are only in transit you pose a danger of spreading yellow fever in a Kenyan airport. “But they sometimes serve as a lever for immigration officials to obstruct travel or extort bribes”. Exactly that is what happened to me. The Kenyan immigration officer wanted a bribe from me. I was saved when a senior official heard me arguing with this man that I was not staying in Kenyan having come from USA and going to Zambia. The culprit quickly disappeared. End of problem. And we flew to Zambia.
#34 Mabvuto. Am surprised that you have never heard of yellow fever in Zambia. It is there. I got a vaccination prior to my first flight to Europe in 1981 at the civic center in Lusaka. It Covers you for 10 years I think. It is required but the way SA is trying to enforce it is suspicious. Those guys live in Zambia for many years. I met a lot carrying Zambian passports like mine in Europe. We should have been friends and tolerate each others short comings.
Just get injected, if you want to enjoy our SA. Let Nigeria give us reasons for deporting SA pipo their not just mentioning the number without proof.
Zambia is a country that, even if free from the disease, gets visited by people from areas plagued with the ailment, and its people travel, frequently, to these areas. Jabbed Zambians are the way to go! Go get jabbed and ask everyone coming in to produce evidence of having been jabbed. If not jabbed, jab em, charge em or send em back!
Latest news______South Africa apologized Thursday for a mass deportation of Nigerians, trying to contain a diplomatic spat that has again focused attention on its sometimes strained relations with the rest of the continent.
“We wish to humbly apologize to them, and we have,” South Africa’s deputy foreign minister, Ibrahim Ibrahim, told reporters. “We are apologizing because we deported a number of people who should not have been deported.”
In Nigeria Thursday, Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru said a special South African envoy was expected soon to convey the apology in person.____End that’s how its supposed to be. Thye were wrong from the beginning. Good job nigeria for putting pressure on SA. Zambia take notes!
#26 &29 you are delusional.
I agree with no 1. Fire for Fire……let shoprite an MTN pack.
Musiwa or whatever your father miscalled you learn some respect. I am Nigerian and Proud.I know for a fact that
1.Nigeria is NOT listed as a Yellow fever country by WHO.
2.If South Africa are not playing games they would also require it from their own citizens who visit any of the so called AT RISK countries#
3.Nigerians do not require these cards for visits to the US.
4. Maybe your mother defaecates by the road and that is why you have no self esteem.
5.I don’t believe Zambians require this card.
The real issue is Black South Africans hate themselves and they now turn this hate onto other blacks.They resent the fact that Nigerians bow to NO ONE
South Africa can kiss my black Nigerian ass. And stuff their apology. They have no respect for themselves nor their fellow Black Africans. Nigeria bows to NOBODY.
LAW IS LAW. THIS REMINDS OF A STORY I HEARD OF SOME ZAMBIANS WHO WERE TRAVELLING FROM SA IN THEIR CAR. THEY RICHED A POLICE ROAD BLOCK AND AS THEY WERE BEING CHECKED ONE PASSENGER THROUGH A CAN OF SOFT DRINK BY THE ROAD SIDE AND LEFT AFTER BEING CHECKED. JUST BEFORE DRIVING INTO ZIMBABWE THERE WAS ANOTHER RD BLOCK. AT THIS RD BLOCK THEY WERE TOLD TO DRIVE BACK TO PICK UP A CAN OF DRINK THEY WRONGLY DISPOSED OFF. THIS WAS AFTER TRAVELLING HUNDREDS OF KILOMETRES. ZAMBIANS HAVE NOW BEEN USED TO LAWLESSNESS. IF U DONT OBBEY THE LAWS IN ZAMBIA, AT LEAST OBBEY THEM WHEN ABROAD AND B4 GOING ABROAD.
I FOR ONE PRAISE THE SOUTH AFRICAN AUTHORITIES FOR BEING STRICT. NIGERIA AUTHORITIES WILL JUST DIG ITS OWN GRAVE BY STU.PID RETALIATION. WHILE THERE IS NO LAW IN NIGERIA, THERES LAW IN SA. IN FACT I CHALLENGE YOU TO CHASE SA COMPANIES. LETS SEE IF YOU CAN USE YOUR CRUDE OIL TO CREATE JOBS IF U CAN HAVE FUEL SHORTAGES IN THE ABANDANCE OF OIL. I DARE YOU GO AHEAD. AND YOU ZAMBIANS, ITS HIGH TIME YOU STOPPED BEHAVING FOOLISHLY AT HOME AND ABROAD. FOLLOW LAND LAWS WHEREVER YOU ARE.
#28. ITS NOT A QUESTION OF BEING WHERE GEOGRAPHICALLY. ITS A QUESTION OF LAW AND JUST ENCOURAGE OUR FOO.LISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO FOLLOW IT. THEY VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE BY FOLLOWING THE LAW. REMEMBER WHEN RB BECAME PRESIDO, THE FIRST COUNTRY HE VISITED WAAAAS…HMM… NIGERIA. WHEN HE CAME BACK HE WAS ALREADY A FULL TIME CROOK AND STARTED RA.PING ZAMBIA LIKE NO BODY’S BUSINESS. THE NEXT THING WAS REMOVAL OF ‘ABUSE OF PUBLIC OFFICE/AUTHORITY’. LOOK AT ZAMBIA TODAY. ITS LAWLESS.
look at this foolish south african who are you without whites. may be you dont know what is happening in nigeria today -technology,arts fabrication and economic growth never withnessed in any black country including your own.all what you do is xenophobia drinking smoking and crawling to your white masters. let me tell you you are no match to nigerians any day
Just foolishness south African are confused people.