Nigeria has begun evacuating its citizens from South Africa as violent anti-migrant attacks spread across Johannesburg and other cities. The UK government has placed the crisis under close watch, fearing the destabilisation of Commonwealth ties and the security of its own nationals in the region. For workers back home, the outbreak is a stark reminder of how global migration tensions hit the kitchen table.
The airlift, announced by Nigeria’s foreign ministry on Monday, comes after a week of mob violence targeting foreign-owned businesses. Looting, arson and beatings have left several dead and hundreds displaced. Shopkeepers from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and other African nations have been driven from their homes. The attacks, reportedly fuelled by unemployment and inequality, mirror a pattern seen elsewhere: when the economy falters, the blame is cast on migrants.
In Manchester and Middlesbrough, union leaders and community groups are watching closely. They know that the rage of a struggling workforce can be twisted into xenophobia. But the real enemy is not the neighbour from another country. It is wage stagnation, zero-hour contracts and a housing market that squeezes young families dry. The South Africa crisis is a warning. If governments do not tackle the cost of living and regional inequality, they open the door to poison.
The UK Foreign Office has updated travel advice, warning Britons to avoid affected areas. But the broader concern is for the Commonwealth. South Africa is a key trade partner. Nigeria is the largest African economy. A rupture would hurt jobs and supply chains on both sides. For the British steelworker or the care home assistant, this is not an abstract diplomatic issue. It is about the price of goods and the security of remittances sent to family abroad.
Labour groups in London have already called for urgent talks with the Home Office. They argue that the UK must lead a Commonwealth summit on migration, not just to condemn violence, but to address the economic roots. A migrant’s hand is not the one that steals your wage. The thief is a system that lets bosses import cheap labour while domestic wages rot. A united workers’ movement, black and white, migrant and native, is the only answer.
For now, the evacuation flights carry people who have lost everything. Their stories will echo in the markets of Lagos and the minicab offices of Birmingham. The UK’s monitoring must turn into action: a real plan for fair wages, secure housing and equal rights. That is how you stop a crisis before it reaches your shore.
