South African Women Married To Nigerians Set To Stage Massive Protest Against Discrimination

South African women married to Nigerians, yesterday, threatened to stage mass protest in Johannesburg to stop discrimination against them, their husbands and children.

Mrs Lindelwa Uche, the chairperson of the United Nigerian Wives in South Africa, UNWISA, said that South African society did not take their marriage to Nigerians as serious relationships.

She said: 

“Our society does not take our marriages serious, they see our marriages as relations of convenience and perceive us as evil to the society.

“All of us are South Africans married to Nigerians living in South Africa, we decided to come together to fight against stigmatisation, discrimination, and humiliation, against our families by government departments and agency and the officials of the government, the community and our-in-laws.”

The chairperson said an earlier protest march by the members of the association had not generated any response from the Home affairs office.

“We protested against discrimination from home affairs officials in March this year, and since after that protest we have not received any response from the government. We felt before we embark on any further action we should come together and form an association registered by law.

“After the official launch of our association, our next action will be more than just a protest march to the city of Johannesburg home affairs office. It is going to be a protest where we will strip on the street of Johannesburg, so that people and government will know that there is an existing body and that we are not happy with the way our non South Africans husband and children are being treated.

“We also plan to carry our protest to Nigeria, we know that some South Africans also have businesses in Nigeria, if it is necessary we will take actions that will stop South Africa businesses operating in Nigeria. Indeed we are ready to go that far.

“We have been quiet for so long but we cannot can’t take it anymore, for the sake of the future of our children, we have to put an end to this discrimination.”