Nigeria: South Africa Through the Eyes of a FirstTime Visitor

By Patrick Oguejiofor

Cape Town The gigantic miracle bird, Airbus 300-600 roared to a halt at one of the parking lots of the magnificent O. R. Tambo International Airport in the city of Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa that chilly Sunday morning at about 6.30 am, South African time on July 28, 2012. And that started my odyssey to this famous country I had for years longed to visit. Although I had never visited South Africa before, from the very moment my foot touched her soil, I felt like a native returning to roost after several years of exile. South Africa was the home country of some of my beloved African writers and favourite musicians: Lucky Dube and Miriam Makeba (both of blessed memories); and the writers: Can Themba, Alex Laguma, Ezekiel Mphalele, Alan Paton, Lewis Nkosi, Doris Lessing, Bessie Head and a whole host of them who used the means of creative writing to draw the attention of the world to the atrocities of the apartheid regime. I longed to meet them. Too bad my longing will have to remain a dream as most of them have since passed on. Even when we successfully landed at Johannesburg, I could hardly believe I was in Walter Sisulu's country. The particular Programme that provided me the opportunity to visit South Africa had been shifted more than once. If you are a Nigerian visiting South Africa for the first time, the first thing that strikes you is the beauty and orderliness of the Johannesburg airport named after the former leader of the African National Congress, Oliver Tambo (now of blessed memory). The neatness was simply bewitching, a sharp contrast to our less than befitting Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos from where we boarded the South African Airways. It was like coming from chaos to a serene world. It is indeed an irony that our leaders who globe trot round the world have failed to copy edifying monuments such as the O. R. Tambo International Airport. I wished I could transfer the airport to Nigeria. Our team, all made up of the staff of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, quickly moved to the domestic wing of the airport where another giant metal bird, a Boeing 737 was waiting to take us to Cape Town. Our flight was hitch-free. Again, the airport at Cape Town was modern, clean, orderly and highly captivating. Outside the airport, we were greeted by a cold, heavy wind that easily reminded me of my visit to London sometimes in 2011. The cold was almost freezing, and although I had been warned ahead of the weather, I could hardly believe that this was happening in Africa.

Thirty minutes drive from the airport saw us to Green Point near the city centre. Cape Town is indeed a city to behold. It is probably Africa's most beautiful city and definitely one of the most beautiful cities of the world. The entire streets were perfectly tarred, giving sufficient spaces for cyclists and pedestrians by the sides. You could see relaxation spots everywhere you go, almost at every corner. Cape Town sparkles! The serenity is ethereal. Our hotel, 'Sleep Easy' was beside the road, overlooking the sea and the Cape Town Stadium, which perched beautifully at the waterfront. In the evenings, we would stroll down the road along the beach area, admiring nature's miracle and beauty. The roaring sea easily reminded us of our lost paradise of Lagos Bar Beach. The Transformational Leadership Training Programme organized by the Global Investments Ltd- a consulting group, headed by Mounir Gwarzo, its director, was exceptionally rewarding. It took place at the Protea Hotel President, one of the best hotels in Cape Town and obviously the best hotel in the Protea Hotels chain. The hotel perched beautifully in front of the famous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, surrounded by other hotels and several relaxation spots. The place was paradise on earth and I wished our beaches back in Nigeria were turned into something equally spectacular. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world visit here for their holidays thereby chanelling millions of dollars to the economy South Africa. Dr Mounir Gwarzo, our training consultant was apparently an expert in his field. He ensured that we got the best from our visit. To begin with, he engaged the services of Aephoria Partners, ranked easily among the leading trainers in South Africa. Their resource persons include Julia Kukard and Simon Kettleborough, two brilliant individuals who left a positive life changing impact on us all. Apart from those of us from the National Judicial Council and the Federal Judicial Service Commission, other participants include the staff of Media Trust and Legacy Pension. One of the highpoints of our visit to Cape Town was our trip to the famous Robben Island prison, about 7 kilometers from Cape Town where former President Nelson Mandela and other South Africa's political activists were detained for several years. The visit which thoroughly humbled us was a lesson in the resilience of the human spirit to survive against all odds. I had the opportunity of entering cell No 8 where Africa's greatest hero, Nelson Mandela, served his jail term. The visit was a guided tour and our guide was an ex-political prisoner of Robben Island. He informed us of the high rate of unemployment in South Africa due to multiplicity of factors: globalization, educational problems, world-wide economic recession, etcetera. He thanked us for helping to keep his job and looked forward to seeing us again. For us, it was history revisited.

The former monstrous prison was now a museum pulling visitors, great and small from every corner of the globe and spinning money for the ailing South African economy. The high unemployment rate in South Africa (said to be about 25%) is really worrisome taking into cognizance the resultant escalation of poverty and crime particularly in cities like Johannesburg. Despite the giant strides made by the ANC regime since the dismantling of apartheid, South Africa remains a country grappling with numerous socio-economic problems just like Nigeria. One cannot fail to observe that most of the cars in the streets of Cape Town were driven by whites. Blacks did menial jobs such as security guides, hotel attendants, truck drivers, etcetera. Many were homeless, begging money in the streets. Some were drug addicts in search of rehabilitation. The decades of apartheid ensured that blacks did not get the right kind of education that would ensure gainful employment. The alleged corruption in the ANC regime and the mess up of the country's educational system are still not helping matters. On a positive note, however, government is working very hard to reverse the trend. Further, South Africa is reputed for an effective police force and an incorruptible judicial system which is effectively keeping a check on crime. For a country fast becoming a byword for crime, this is a welcome development. On the social plain, the residents of Cape Town are very friendly. The languages spoken there include English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. The population is made of blacks, colored, whites and nationals of Nigeria, Congo, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Large communities of Nigerians are mainly Igbos and Edos, mostly petty traders. A few are into petty crimes or unemployed. We had an interesting encounter with ex-Niger Delta militants who were students in Cape Town. The women are very honest about their social lives and are heavy drinkers and smokers. They could spend the entire night drinking and dancing. They are not as religious as Nigerians. The churches in Cape Town are very few. It was in the Streets of Green Point, (an area near the city centre) that I encountered male and female prostitutes! In a strange encounter, a young Xhosa woman we ran into late one night on our way to our hotel, told us she was out for 'business' and when I enquired the nature of her business, she responded with an inviting smile, 'sexual healing'! Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Pastor T. B. Joshua of Synagogue of all Nations, Ikotun, Lagos are probably the two most famous Nigerians known by South Africans. The very moment any of us mentioned the name Nigeria the next question will be about T. B. Joshua whom they adore and believe to be the greatest prophet to come out of black Africa. A young woman wanted me to take her to Lagos just for her to have contact with Pastor T. B. Joshua. Another young man said he has been saving just to pay a pilgrimage to Nigeria and worship in

Pastor T. B. Joshua's church. When I told one of them that I am an Anglican, they were shocked as they could not understand why anybody living in Nigeria would worship in any other church than the Synagogue of All Nations! I felt proud and puzzled at the same time. Quite a number of prominent Nigerian pastors see T. B. Joshua as a controversial character. But here he is a household word, almost a saint and a hero. Indeed, a prophet is never known in his native land.
Patrick Tagbo Oguejiofor, Vice Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Abuja Chapter, works in the Legal Unit of Federal Judicial Service Commission, Abuja
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201209090176.html