‘Show us the drug dens’: South Africa rejects Nigeria’s compensation demand

South Africa's government has pushed back against Nigeria's intention to seek compensation for properties left behind by Nigerians fleeing recent xenophobic violence. The South African government insists that only legally registered assets will be considered and has controversially called on Nigeria to identify alleged "drug dens" associated with its citizens.

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If you own a property in South Africa, it’s registered. If it’s a house, it’s registered with the Deeds Register. If you own a car, it’s registered in the NATIS system. If you own a business, it’s registered with the CIPC.

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, South Africa's Minister in the Presidency, outlined the government's position during a press briefing. She explained that legally acquired properties in South Africa are officially documented and remain under the ownership of their registered owners, who are free to sell them. "If you own a property in South Africa, it’s registered. If it’s a house, it’s registered with the Deeds Register. If you own a car, it’s registered in the NATIS system. If you own a business, it’s registered with the CIPC," she stated.

Ntshavheni maintained that Nigerians with legally owned property could sell these assets rather than expect government compensation. However, she then raised controversy by expressing interest in identifying locations allegedly used for drug-related activities by Nigerians. "We’ll be interested to know where the drug dens of Nigerians are so they can show us where they’ve been holding the drugs so that we can clean the drugs in South Africa quite urgently," Ntshavheni said.

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We’ll be interested to know where the drug dens of Nigerians are so they can show us where they’ve been holding the drugs so that we can clean the drugs in South Africa quite urgently.

Furthermore, Ntshavheni ruled out any compensation for structures in informal settlements, deeming them illegal under South African law. "Informal squatter camps and settlements are never properties because they are illegal in the country. So you are already violating our law if you tell us about a shack in an informal settlement. So there is no compensation that will come from government," she declared. This stance follows Nigeria's announcement of plans to seek compensation for citizens who lost businesses and property during the anti-migrant violence.

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Informal squatter camps and settlements are never properties because they are illegal in the country. So you are already violating our law if you tell us about a shack in an informal settlement. So there is no compensation that will come from government.