South Africa Rejects Nigeria's Compensation Claim Over Xenophobic Attacks

South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said the government will not pay compensation to Nigerians who abandoned businesses and other property while fleeing renewed xenophobic attacks. She stressed that only assets formally registered with South African authorities can be sold on the property market, while structures in informal settlements are illegal and not eligible for any reimbursement.

Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa Temitope Ajayi announced that Nigeria was compiling records of abandoned assets to seek compensation from Pretoria. Ntshavheni rejected the proposal and instead urged the Nigerian government to provide information on locations she described as “drug dens” allegedly used by Nigerians, saying the intelligence would help South African law‑enforcement agencies.

The dispute follows recent anti‑migrant violence that forced the evacuation of hundreds of Nigerians and other African nationals, prompting several African governments to arrange voluntary repatriation. Ntshavheni also disclosed new measures to prevent the re‑erection of informal settlements after demolition. Former Nigerian senator Shehu Sani criticised the minister’s remarks.