My first South Africa trip: What MTN MIP-5 showed me beyond Xenophobia headlines

Umpteen times, I make international trips to the West without touching base with African countries. However, that changed in 2024 when I visited Nairobi, Kenya, based on my interaction with the Executive Director of a popular bank in Kenya, who said, “Segun! You have to come visit Kenya. It’s a lovely place.” Indeed, it was lovely and I met the popular Kenyan billionaire, APA Insurance CEO Ashok Rupshi Shah. Since then, it has become a tradition to stop by an African country anytime I travel abroad and I can bet you, I have been to a couple, with positive experiences.

But I haven’t been to South Africa, the country many Nigerians speak about, particularly driven by the curiosity as to why Nigerians travel there and do not return. So, I decided to visit in November this year, until MTN Nigeria made it happen earlier, having been selected as a Fellow of the MTN Media Innovation Programme, inclusive of a trip to South Africa.

On 29th August, 2026, we departed for South Africa via South African Airways and landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. I wasn’t moved by the aesthetics at the airport because some places tend to be good outside but bad inside. Surprisingly, it was a different experience, especially at the sight of Virgin Active, a popular health fitness club brand. You don’t see the brand just anywhere, not to talk of it being in an African country. It means the country must be unique. As if that was not enough, the roads were not what I expected. Suddenly, I started feeling like I was in New York and the United Kingdom. Having checked into my hotel, I quickly freshened up and rested for some minutes. Thereafter, I took a stroll to one of my Fellows’ hotels, Seven Villa. No, I didn’t use Uber or a taxi even though it was 5 minutes away, but walked because that would help me know the environment well. During the 23-minute walk, amidst fear of being attacked due to the widespread news of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians there, I got to know places like Daisy Street and Helen Road. The traffic system was similar to what is obtainable in the West. However, my phone died and I consequently approached a rider who was going about his work to ask for directions, and he graciously directed me despite his busy schedule. What a good gesture!

As part of our itinerary, we visited the MTN Group and were welcomed by the Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas, who urged journalists to protect the profession from political and economic capture, saying, “Journalism, once it is captured and serves the interests of an elite, political and economic elite, can be dangerous.” During his speech on “Africa: Geopolitical and Economic Outlook and the Case for Continental Integration”, Jonas called for journalism that speaks for disadvantaged groups and contributes to social progress. Most importantly, he advised us to become “selfless thinkers” who could contribute to Africa’s development beyond narrow national interests. In the same vein, the MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Ms Nompilo Morafo, explained that journalism is important in shaping society, saying, “We started the programme because we think journalism is important. It has a role to shape society, especially in these trying times for Africa.”

For me, the most memorable moment of the trip was the 2-day Summit at the University of Johannesburg, where Fellows presented papers in groups. The Summit was attended by professors, policy experts and government representatives; hence, it was quite intimidating. I was in the last group and our topic was “Building A Nigeria-South Africa Media Partnership Network.” In fact, all my group members — Kafilat Taiwo (Data Journalist, Media Trust Group); Chidinma Nwankwo (General Manager, Quadrant MSL); Asanda Magaqa (freelance political journalist at eNCA) and Adeniyi Adetoke (Editor-in-Chief, Notjustok) — really gave their best to ensure we delivered an impactful presentation. I was able to develop an app to lend credence to our work and also show the practical side. Eventually, we delivered the paper and we were commended for it. At the end, the University of Johannesburg presented certificates in Data and Digital Communications to Fellows for a job well done.

Visits to Constitution Hill and the Apartheid Museum were also unforgettable. Constitution Hill is the primary historic prison site in Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela was held, featuring the Old Fort Prison — where Mandela was kept in the hospital section while awaiting the Rivonia Trial in 1962 — and displaying the Mandela Cell. Today, Constitution Hill operates as a living museum and is the seat of South Africa’s Constitutional Court. Located in Ormonde, Johannesburg, the Apartheid Museum illustrates the rise and fall of South Africa’s system of racial segregation and state-sanctioned oppression. Fellows were given random papers containing Blankes/Whites and Nie-Blankes/Non-Whites to practically demonstrate Apartheid. So, we entered the main entrance of the museum on this basis and were taken through the whole process. Before I forget, we stopped at a restaurant close to Mandela’s House in Soweto and I can tell you that restaurant was the first place I had a satisfying meal since we got to South Africa (Laughs).

The visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation was incredible. The Chief Executive, Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi, told us the edifice was built by Mandela. According to him, they actually established three legacy organizations — the first they established when he was still president in 1995, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, which is a few minutes up the road from us. Then they established the Nelson Mandela Foundation as the middle child in 1999. And then in 2002, they established the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, which is based in Cape Town. On xenophobic attacks, Buthelezi said it is something that the Foundation also has a long history with and was deeply involved in before his time, adding that this is not something that is new in South Africa. Referencing 2008, he said there was an upsurge of violence directed at Africans predominantly from other parts of the continent and it repeated again in 2015 in South Africa. During the crisis in 2008, he recalled Madiba, who was still here before passing in 2013, sat in the same room and issued a statement condemning the violence, noting that much of the most violent elements of it happened not far from the Foundation — a 15-minute drive away. In the statement, according to him, Madiba condemned the violence and the Foundation then ran a series of dialogues in communities around the country to do what Madiba always taught them to do: get people talking to one another, meeting one another at eye level in order to create a hospitable environment for people chased out of their communities that they have lived in for lengthy periods of time, to be able to return to their homes. In retrospect, he said Mandela’s intervention was quite successful at the time.

Fellows wrapped up the official visit at the Nigerian House in Pretoria, where pressing issues bordering on xenophobic attacks and other affairs relating to Nigerians living in South Africa were discussed. The Acting High Commissioner, Ambassador Temitope Ajayi, while fielding questions on assessment of anti-immigration protests by South Africans, said many properties were destroyed when the protests occurred, particularly the one on 30th March. He pointed at another round of protests in April, and from then on, different groups began organising demonstrations across South Africa. The Ambassador noted the calls for protests in Johannesburg, the Eastern Cape, and several other provinces, adding that when these are put together, one begins to appreciate the scale of what has happened. According to him, they have recorded no fewer than 10 different incidents relating to the protests. The Ambassador said many of these attacks occur outside the capital, particularly in remote areas where Nigerians live and do business. He explained that Nigerians are spread across South Africa, and in some of these places, they are vulnerable because security agencies cannot respond quickly enough.

Identifying hotspots in South Africa, Temitope pointed at Pretoria, Sunnyside, which has repeatedly emerged as one such area, noting that there is nothing “sunny” about Sunnyside whenever these incidents occur. He added there is also a place in Johannesburg where Nigerians have been specifically targeted during periods of unrest. Speaking on how the Commission responds to protest alerts, he said the Commission advises Nigerians to close their shops, stay indoors, and avoid unnecessary exposure when credible signals that protests may become violent are received.

This piece would not be complete without special thanks to the team at Pan-Atlantic University — the Dean, School of Media and Communication Studies, Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya; the Director, Professional Education, School of Media and Communication, Isaac Ogugua Ezechukwu and Programmes Director, Media Innovation Programme, Dr Chike Mgbeadichie.

Also to the MTN Team — the General Manager of Corporate Affairs and External Communications, MTN Group, Omasan Ogisi; Senior Manager, External Relations, MTN Nigeria, Funso Aina; PR and Marketing Communications, MTN Nigeria, Dr Lakinbofa Goodluck and Chief of Staff to the MTN Group Chairman, Dominic Khumalo.

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