President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to South Africa in October for a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa will focus on addressing the challenges affecting people and businesses in the two countries.
Both countries are currently locked in a bitter diplomatic row over the attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in South Africa.
And there have also been some retaliatory attacks on South African businesses in Nigeria.
This statement came after Buhari’s special envoy and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar, met with Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Friday.
Abubakar, who returned to the country on Saturday, was said to have expressed Nigeria’s displeasure at the treatment being meted out to Nigerians in the Rainbow Nation during the meeting. He was also said to have confirmed Buhari’s visit to South Africa in October.
A South African newspaper, Times Live, on Saturday quoted Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, as saying, “In yesterday’s discussion, the special envoy conveyed President Buhari’s concern at recent events in South Africa, in the context of the strong and cordial relations that characterise the interaction between the two countries.
“Nigeria stands ready to assist South Africa in establishing the root causes of and developing sustainable solutions to the challenges concerned.
“President Buhari has undertaken that where challenges emerge in Nigeria, the Nigerian government will act against lawlessness and the targeting of South African assets in Nigeria.”
She added that Buhari’s visit is meant to “reinforce the strong bonds between the two countries and jointly develop responses to challenges affecting people and businesses in South Africa and Nigeria.
The death toll from the violence is said to have risen to 11.
