OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS Indiana Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Abbriviate Tittle- Ind J Human Soc Sci ISSN (Online)- 2582-8630 Journal Homepage Link- https://indianapublications.com/journal/IJHSS DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7405285 *Corresponding Author: Nwanganga Michael Chinwendu 70 INDIANA PRODUCTIVE AND QUALITY RESEARCH Research Article Volume-03|Issue-11|2022 Xenophobic Attacks and Nigerian-South African Relations: Investigating the Cause Nwanganga Michael Chinwendu* 1 , Nwawube Arinze Victor 2 , & Sabastine Ediba 3 1 Department of International Relations Gregory University Uturu 2 Department of Political Science University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria 3 Department of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Nigerian Army University Biu, Nigeria Article History Received: 01.11.2022 Accepted: 10.11.2022 Published: 30.11.2022 Citation Chinwendu, N. M., Victor, N. A., & Ediba, S. (2022). Xenophobic Attacks and Nigerian-South African Relations: Investigating the Cause. Indiana Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(11), 70-79. Abstract: The Nigeria South African Relations has been affected by xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other foreign nationals living in South Africa. Xenophobia is gradually becoming a tradition in South Africa due to the inability of the South African government to reduce the spate of xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals. Therefore, this study pursued one objective: to analyze the link between the deepening poverty situation of South Africans and the rising incidence of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians within the periods of study. The study employed the documentary method of data collection and content analysis method of data analysis. The Trend research design was used to observe changes in the variables of study at different points in time. Utilizing the Theory of social production of material wealth was advocated by Marxian scholars. The study found that there is a link between the deepening poverty situation of South Africans and the rising incidence of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians. Consequently, the study recommended that there should be a proper reorientation of South African citizens by the government of South Africa, the African Union, the United Nations and other relevant bodies on the need to accommodate their African brothers and the implications of xenophobic violence on the economy of South Africa. Keywords: Xenophobic attacks, Nigeria, Relations, South Africa. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). INTRODUCTION Over the years, Nigeria and South Africa enjoyed a robust and symbiotic relationship. This relationship is motivated by the national interest of both countries. There exists an element of cooperation and confrontation in the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa. The cooperation is borne out of trade relations and economic relations between Nigeria and South Africa while the confrontation between both countries can be traced through the roots of apartheid, xenophobia and the leadership tussles in the African continent and the international arena. As a result of the Sharpeville massacre, Nigeria and South Africa first came into conflict on March 21, 1960. Black South Africans were protesting racial dominance and inequality when the incident occurred, and white South African police attacked them. The incident, which resulted in the deaths of 72 black people and numerous injuries, marked the beginning of a diplomatic dispute between Nigeria and South Africa. As a result, Nigeria was at the forefront of calls for international political and economic sanctions against apartheid South Africa, which led to South Africa's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961 and the imposition of a trade embargo under the auspices of the now-defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU). Nigeria played a key role in the international community's desire for complete isolation of South Africa. The apartheid South African regime fell in 1994 as a result of pressure from Nigeria and other countries, non-governmental organizations, and powerful people. The Nigeria-South African diplomatic relations have deteriorated in recent times. This is due to poor accommodation of Nigerians by the South African nationals, otherwise framed in the xenophobic discourse. Xenophobia has been on the rise in South Africa since the end of Apartheid, between 1997 and 2007 several acts of violence has been reported by South African media where non-nationals are the primary targets, however, one that reverberated throughout the world was the May 2008 violence (Onyia, 2018). The available data on xenophobic attacks in South Africa shows that in May 2008 in Alexandra township of Johannesburg xenophobic violence claimed the lives of about 64 immigrants while thousands were displaced, and many sustained severe injuries (Dauda et al., 2018). In the same year 2008, xenophobic violence in South Africa, attacks were carried out on foreigners living in all parts of the country where 670 immigrants were injured, dozens were raped, properties worth millions of Rands were looted or destroyed and more than 100,000 persons displaced (Dauda et al., 2018). Nevertheless, available data shows that anytime violence is unleashed on foreign nationals in