A South African politician has drawn widespread condemnation after appearing at an airport solely to watch Nigerians leave the country, describing them as “horrible” and blaming them for drug abuse and social decay.

Thabile Sibeko, leader of the little-known Inizwe Nathi Party, positioned herself among journalists and onlookers as a group of Nigerian nationals prepared to board an evacuation flight out of South Africa. The flight was part of a wider repatriation effort arranged by the Nigerian government following a surge in xenophobic attacks targeting African migrants, particularly Nigerians.

Speaking to cameras, Sibeko said she had come “to bid farewell to Nigerians” and “make sure they are leaving our country,” claiming that while some foreigners had contributed positively, Nigerians in particular had brought “evil” into South African communities. She accused them of flooding townships with hard drugs and turning local youths into “zombies.”

Her remarks echoed long-standing stereotypes that have been repeatedly challenged by human rights groups, which argue that migrants are being scapegoated for South Africa’s deep-rooted problems of unemployment, inequality and crime. Activists say such rhetoric from political figures not only distorts reality but also emboldens vigilante violence.

In recent years, waves of anti-immigrant unrest have seen foreign-owned shops looted, homes torched and migrants assaulted or killed. Nigerians have often been singled out, prompting diplomatic tensions between Abuja and Pretoria. The evacuation flights were organized after weeks of attacks left many Nigerians fearful for their lives and desperate to leave.

While Sibeko insisted that South Africa “loves its people and its country” and thanked some foreign nationals for “taking care” of the nation, she maintained that Nigerians had “killed our children with drugs” and that South Africans were justified in “dissociating” from them.

Her comments have been criticized by civil society organizations and commentators, who warn that framing an entire nationality as criminals risks normalizing xenophobia and undermining regional solidarity. They argue that law enforcement should target specific offenders, not entire communities, and that politicians should focus on addressing systemic failures rather than inflaming public anger.

For many of the evacuees, the flight out of South Africa marked a painful end to years of trying to build a life in a country they once saw as a beacon of opportunity, now overshadowed by fear, hostility and political point-scoring.