A South African politician has ignited widespread condemnation after making inflammatory remarks about Nigerians at a farewell event for citizens being repatriated amid a wave of xenophobic violence.

Thabile Sibeko, who identifies as the president of the Inizwe Nathi Party, told journalists at a South African airport on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, that she was “happy” to see Nigerians leave. Describing them as “horrible,”.

She accused the community of fueling the country’s drug crisis. “Today we’ve got zombies in our streets as our children because of them,” she said. “Nigeria is horrible, these people are horrible. They’ve killed our children with drugs,” Sibeko added. She drew a distinction with other foreign nationals, thanking those who “took care of our country.”

The comments came as the first batch of 262 evacuees—mostly women and children—arrived in Lagos on Thursday aboard an Air Peace flight.

Nigerian officials reacted with outrage, condemning Sibeko’s remarks as xenophobic and rejecting the generalizations she used to justify the attacks. “Enough is enough,” declared Abike Dabiri-Erewa, head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), during a Channels Television interview. “None of these people that came back committed any crime in South Africa. The only crime they committed was the colour of their skin.”

Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu signaled a potential diplomatic escalation, stating that retaliatory measures against South Africa are “not off the table.” She also warned that over 1,000 Nigerian citizens have registered for voluntary evacuation, with more flights scheduled.

Doubts have emerged regarding Sibeko’s political standing. Analysts have noted that South Africa’s Electoral Commission database shows no official registration for the “Inizwe Nathi Party,” prompting questions about the legitimacy of her organization.