South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has doubled down on her stance that the state will not provide compensation to Nigerians who left their properties during recent outbreaks of xenophobic violence. During a Saturday exchange, the Minister emphasized that her initial refusal was clear and deliberate.
This confrontation follows an announcement by Temitope Ajayi, the Acting High Commissioner for Nigeria to South Africa, who stated that Nigeria intended to catalog abandoned assets to seek restitution. Ntshavheni dismissed these claims, asserting that only formally registered assets are protected under local law. She characterized structures in informal settlements as illicit, thereby disqualifying them from any state-funded reimbursement. According to the Minister, individuals with legal holdings are free to sell their property through standard market channels.
Furthermore, Ntshavheni made provocative claims regarding the involvement of some Nigerians in local drug trades, demanding that such illicit sites be identified so authorities can dismantle them. Former Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani criticized the tone of her remarks on social media, describing them as unbecoming of a high-ranking government official. In her retort to Sani, Ntshavheni insisted that her position remains unchanged, reiterating that the government will not compensate for assets acquired or held through illegal means.
