By Olawale Osifeso
Power authorities in Johannesburg this week cut off the power supply to the Nigerian Consulate in South Africa, reports thegazellenews.com.
The city power visited multiple premises around joburg’s region E, disconnecting electricity to recoup more than R360 million it is owed by individuals and organizations in the region.
The city power authority said the Nigerian Consulate owed more than R400 000 ($23 300).
The Nigerian Consulate in South Africa however issued a statement expressing displeasure, adding that the South African Government had to investigate the conduct of the Johannesburg power officials.
The statement read in part that, “the invasion squad which comprised officials of the Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD), and city power, as well as members of the press, arrived at the Consulate without prior notice or appointment and disrupted normal consular services”.
Spokesperson of the South African Foreign Affairs Ministry has however said the matter is being handled through diplomatic channels.
In his statement to AFP, Clayso Monyela, who is the spokesperson of the South African Foreign Affairs Ministry said, “the Nigerian consulate has dispatched a note to us,the matter is being handled through diplomatic channels. We’ll engage all parties involved to in order to find an amicable solution”.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry blasted the city’s actions as “in complete violation of international treaties and conversations, especially the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, awhich guarantees the inviolability of consular premises
