South Africa has rejected Nigeria’s request for compensation for properties abandoned by citizens evacuated during recent xenophobic attacks, insisting that legally owned assets remain protected under South African law and can be sold through the country’s property market.
Speaking at a media briefing on Friday, South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said there was no basis for government compensation where ownership of assets remained legally recognised.
She explained that houses, vehicles and businesses legally owned by foreign nationals are registered through official systems, including the Deeds Register, the National Traffic Information System (NATIS) and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), allowing owners to dispose of them through normal legal channels.
Ntshavheni also dismissed the possibility of compensating owners of structures located in informal settlements, describing such structures as illegal under South African law.
The minister further called on Nigerian authorities to provide evidence and locations of alleged drug dens operated by Nigerians in South Africa, saying law enforcement agencies would act immediately if credible information was supplied.
Her comments came days after Nigeria announced plans to seek compensation for citizens who fled South Africa following a wave of xenophobic attacks.
Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, disclosed that affected Nigerians had been directed to compile detailed records of businesses, vehicles and other movable and immovable assets left behind before returning home.
According to Ajayi, Nigerian and South African officials have begun discussions on the matter, with the documentation expected to support Nigeria’s engagement with Pretoria over compensation for affected citizens.
He said the Federal Government was determined to ensure that investments built by Nigerians over the years were not lost or unlawfully taken over.
More than 850 Nigerians have so far been evacuated from South Africa in four batches following the attacks.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Federal Government remains committed to the safe return of affected citizens while pursuing diplomatic engagement with South African authorities over the crisis.
