"They are horrible," rejoices a South African politician at the departure of the Nigerians.

A South African politician sparked outrage after describing Nigerians as a "horrible" people and rejoicing at their forced departure from the country amid escalating xenophobic violence.

Thabile Sibeko, leader of the Inizwe Nathi party, made these controversial remarks at the airport, shortly before a group of Nigerians boarded an evacuation flight.

Ms. Sibeko told reporters that she had gone to the airport specifically to witness the departure, later accusing Nigerian nationals of introducing drug addiction among young South Africans.

Ms. Sibeko stated:

I am here to say goodbye to the Nigerians, to make sure they leave our country, and to tell them: goodbye Nigerians. Thank you for everything you have contributed to this country, but we do not appreciate all the harm you have caused, and we hope you have learned your lesson. We want to encourage them to take care of the countries they visit in the future. Today, our children in our countries have become zombies because of them, and this has touched us deeply. It has driven us to hate them with all our might. The next time they come, they will know that South Africa loves its people and its country. To the others, we say thank you for being here, especially to those who have taken care of our country. But the Nigerians, in particular, it is because of their behavior and the harm they have caused in our country. They killed our children with drugs and that is why we are distancing ourselves from Nigerians, because of their behavior.

These statements coincided with a mass evacuation effort by the Nigerian federal government. On Wednesday, June 10, authorities evacuated 268 Nigerian citizens from South Africa, following weeks of riots targeting foreigners and a rise in xenophobic sentiment.

The first group of evacuees arrived safely in Nigeria on Thursday morning, June 11.