Follow Us on Google
By Lawrence Agbo
The South African government has dismissed calls for compensation over Nigerians returning home from the country, insisting that no public funds will be used to compensate owners of illegal structures while urging Nigerian authorities to identify alleged drug hotspots linked to their nationals.
Speaking on the issue, South African Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said foreign nationals who legally own property in the country remain free to sell their assets before leaving, stressing that only assets recognised under South African law qualify for legal protection.
She explained that all legitimate properties are formally registered, noting that houses are listed in the Deeds Register, vehicles in the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), while businesses are registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).
“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. If you’re renting offices, they’re registered with landlords.”
Ntshavheni also called on the Nigerian government to provide information on locations allegedly being used for drug-related activities, saying South African authorities are prepared to act on credible intelligence.
Other News
“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,” she said.
The minister maintained that informal settlements and illegal structures do not qualify as property under South African law, adding that occupants of such settlements are already in violation of the country’s laws.
According to her, the government will continue removing illegal settlements in line with court rulings and will not compensate anyone for structures erected unlawfully.
“There’s no compensation that will come from government,” Ntshavheni said.
She added that individuals with legally registered properties can dispose of them through the South African property market before departing the country.
