ngwana.mobu:
This is so sad! It's stories like these that paint all South Africans as people who are intolerant towards foreigners, and its not like that. The problem with my people is ignorance and not being properly educated. Most of the time these violent acts are committed by those who are less educated and feel that government owes them something. Yes, truth be told SOME South Africans are lazy and expect handouts from government, while SOME foreigners work hard to make sure they live comfortably here. Xenophobic acts should never be justified! Africa belongs to all who live in it. Let's not be fooled by these artificial borders

Afam4eva: I can't live in SA for the life of me. The place seems to volatile especially against foreigners.

jidewin: KANYI Dyantyi will not have the wedding she was looking forward to after her Nigerian-born fiancé died while in police custody in Cape Town earlier this month

Obinna Ugboaja's death has sparked the ire of the Nigerian community who marched to parliament on Friday demanding an end to police brutality against foreigners.

March organisers, the Nigerian Union in the Western Cape and Frontline Africa, argued that Nigerians were being targeted for brutal treatment by the police. They said in most cases brutality was swept under the carpet because of the false assumption that all Nigerians were criminals.

According to the Independent Complaints Directorate 2011/2012 annual report, 932 people died in police custody or as a result of police action.

The Nigerian Union wants the death of 32-year-old Ugboaja to be investigated and has opened a case at Cape Town Central police station. While police said they were investigating his death, grief- stricken Dyantyi, who met Ugboaja five years ago, remains in the dark about what led to his death.

"I really don't know exactly what happened. They took me to the mortuary where I found my husband dead. His mouth and neck were full of blood and he had marks on his neck, like he had been held hard.

"They said he had overdosed on cocaine. He didn't even smoke cigarettes."

Dyantyi said Ugboaja - who was a computer technician at First Coast Technologies and had been living in South Africa for seven years - left their Brooklyn home on the night of January 6 to meet friends in town.

She started worrying when he didn't come home and his phone went unanswered. After notifying his brother, Dyantyi took their one-year-old daughter to the police station where his car was parked.

But she was sent away with no answers.

"I waited for almost two-and-a-half hours. My baby was screaming. I didn't even know he was dead. They didn't tell me," she said.

When she returned the next morning, she was taken to the mortuary.

"Next year at Easter we were supposed to go to Nigeria to marry. His family is waiting. I don't work and I don't even know how we are going to pay to bury him," she said.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesman Moses Dlamini said the matter was being investigated.

"If someone dies in police custody then we investigate," he said.

Azubuike Okparaugo, president of the Nigerian Union in the Western Cape, said it was irrelevant whether Ugboaja had been rightfully arrested or not.

"We were not marching to protest his innocence or his guilt. If he is guilty take him to court and give him a maximum sentence. Police are not the court of law," Okparaugo said, adding that the police conduct in Ugboaja's death should be investigated.

Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said an inquest docket has been opened into Ugboaja's death and the directorate was investigating the case.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2013/01/21/dream-wedding-plan-in-ruins-after-death-in-police-custody

jp philips:

And you bring such news without a picture?? do you have any idea how many obinna ugboajas there in Nija?
if the source doesn't have a pic, just ignore and move on

jp philips:

And you bring such news without a picture?? do you have any idea how many obinna ugboajas there in Nija?
if the source doesn't have a pic, just ignore and move on

saxywale:
Do you not think a town in south Africa could be called Brooklyn. I don't like south Africa and south Africans though. They hate unskilled, semi skilled and skilled African migrants

Afam4eva: I can't live in SA for the life of me. The place seems to volatile especially against foreigners.

ogaemma:

Not just against foreigners, their hate target are Nigerians. Infact more Nigerians have died in SA more than any other country of the world. SA hate Nigerians realy bad.

Afam4eva: I can't live in SA for the life of me. The place seems to volatile especially against foreigners.

Revolva: Seems the dude was on a trip to carry cocaine from yankee to SA .. And he was caught ..and maltreated by the SA authourities

aribisala0: For simple and obvious reasons DRUG BUSINESS and BOASTFULNESS There are many Chinese,Indians and Pakistani involved in drugs too.Perhaps even making more money but Nigerians are boastful,noisy and disrespectful of BLACK Saffers. Those who engage in this boastfulness will NEVER Learn because it is in their blood.

Kei144:

You certainly know nothing about SA. Inasmuch as there may be boastful Nigerians, the claim that Chinese, Indians and Pakistanis do not boast shows that you have never been to SA. The reality is that Chinese, Indians and Pakistanis display such superiority over blacks that they do not want to relate with them at all. Nigerians feel low enough that they relate with blacks and that is why the blacks are able to notice that Nigerians are boastful.

991: I lived in south africa for 3yrs, i could remember a police man after searching me and found nothing he said,"you f**kin nigerian, go back to your f**kin country, you think you are what?"
I wish I can see the man now and tell him back "mr. officer drink a bottle of Andre Rosa and give me the bill, am in my country now and am doing great".

doppler777:
Coke worths more in Yankee than SA.

aribisala0:

I really do not know you and the way you address me does not arouse my interest.
Generally I prefer to relate ONLY to people who are courteous and respectful to me.I have no comment to your comments.Peace.

scipher:
all those people saying the guy commited crime, ori gbogbo yin ti daru

jidewin: I would like to first thank everyone who have made their comments on this story.And also a big kudos the moderators and Seun of Nairaland.I least expected the magnitude of readers (over 10 thousand within 15 hours and still counting).It proves how strong,viable and accessible nairaland is fast becoming as an indigenous Media.

The story on the late Obinna Ugboaja,i m ight add is not a peculiar one.There are and have been series of cases like this that gets swept under the carpet,while their families bemoans their fate.It is no doubt,that SOME foreigners resort to uncomely means to survive or live a lifestyle they chose to desire.But in the case of the late Obinna,it is not so.
There are confirmed sources the late young man of 32years of age,was a computer technician,working for a registered south african establishment.Meaning he was legit,worked,earned and obviously a tax payer.Contrary to what some comments were made about "his personality",There was no ocular proof he was involve in the drug trade.Irregardless of the picture the south african police wants the public to accept and believe.Thanks to the desperate individuals(and these does not exclude south africans) who saw the magnitude of the trade in drugs as highly profitable and a fast means to make wealth.

What would have gone wrong? why was his wife turned away from the police station the same night she went to check and affirmed the late Nigerians car was there at the police premises?.How come after several hours the same law enforcement agents refered his wife to the mortuary? Was the traces of blood in his mouth and around his neck a trace of strangulation?,If he had swallowed or attempted to swallow "exhibits" on him,why the choke and obvious detention without any attempt to make him defaecate the substances (i.e if there truly was any)?The visible marks round his necks portrays what?? This and many more questions are yet to be answered.

Afrophobia,a bye-product of Xenophobia, is a living phenomenon to which vast majority of south african citizens (permit me to add not all)have accepted as means of expressing to the world at large,their resentment of foreigners DWELLING in their country. It does not matter whether you are there legitemately or otherwise in particular if you are from another african country,be it West,East,North or Central Africa.
I have seen how ethiopeans,sudannes nationals,just to mention a few,who are shop owners (spaza shops) have tasted the brunt of disgruntled south african citiznes.Do you now some ladies would never step into the beauty shop of some salons the moment they realise they are not south africas??I saw this happened at yeoville.Not to mention the assaults and often murder of zimbambweans,malawians and zambians nationals any time some township "cleansing" have to be carried out,a means by which most times foreigners are the targets. Claims such as "crime INCREASED when this foreigners came to our township,it is the zimbos who are raping our girls,it the zambians who are hijacking our cars and crossing them to neignbouring SADC,It is the Nigerians who are destroying our children by selling drugs to them,there are less jobs in the mining sectors because the foreigners from Lesotho are too many,we dont have affordable home because the chinese,pakistanis,malaysians have taken over available accomodation for shops and warehouses,etc etc etc as the list goes on".

Here, foreigners are to be blamed for increase in crime,even the spread of HIV. However,in the case of the late obinna is this applicable.The current ruling party of South Africa, ANC, have a lot of image re-branding on their hands on the International Scene to do.The South African media too needs to think and act in line with this.Stereotyping nationals from the West African countries, as unfit and undesirable does not help The Rainbow Nation.From this same W.A countries are investors and equally skilled workers in various work related sectors in health,education,engineering,accouting,real estate and so on and they are even been less paid compared to other foreign nationals from europe and america.It is not only Africans that have had one or two negative thing to say about the country,even some Western Europeans too does. Unfortunately,foreigners have limited choice;LIVE WITH IT OR GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY.
There is no doubt,if the Independent Police Investigative Directorate would be fair and thorough,without compromise,the truth about the demise of the young Nigerian man would be revealed.But for now,we the Nigerians in South Africa have only one conviction, 32 years old Obinna Ugboaja, a skillful computer technician was murdered.For now,it is Nigeria, tomorrow,it could a Ghanaian,Zimbambwean,Zambian,congolese,Ugandian,Burkinabe, togolese,etc.


The country Madiba suffered and fought for is to be a role model nation (people of colors)"We enter into a covenant that we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without and fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to hum :-Xan dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world. - Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address, Pretoria 9 May 1994"
And yes,not a place where anything and everything goes,but an african nation where when you come to,you feel at home while away from home."We owe it to all the peoples of the sub-continent to ensure that they see in us, not merely good leaders waxing lyrical about development, but as the front
commanders in the blast furnaces of labour, productive
investments and visible change. - Nelson Mandela, Southern
African Development Community (SADC) 15th anniversary
summit, Johannesburg 13 September 1995"