The South African government has rejected Nigeria’s request for compensation for citizens who abandoned their businesses and properties after fleeing renewed xenophobic attacks in the country.
Nigeria had indicated that it was compiling records of properties and businesses left behind by returnees as a basis for seeking compensation from South African authorities.
Earlier this week, Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, said the Federal Government had begun documenting losses suffered by affected Nigerians to facilitate discussions on possible compensation.
However, South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, dismissed the proposal during a press conference on Friday, insisting that the government would not compensate anyone for properties left behind.
According to Ntshavheni, legally owned properties are officially registered with relevant authorities and can be sold through the country’s property market, while structures in informal settlements are illegal and therefore not recognised as legitimate property.
“We’ll be interested to know where the drug dens of Nigerians are. So they can show us where they have been holding the drugs so that we can clean the drugs in South Africa quite urgently,” she said.
“Squatter camps and informal settlements are never properties because they are illegal in the country. So you are already violating our law if you are going to tell us about a shack in some informal settlement.”
She added: “So there’s no compensation that will come from government. Those who leave their properties, if they are properly legally registered in the country, they can dispose of the properties in the property market in South Africa — whether it’s movable or immovable property. And we are going to seriously appreciate being told where the drug dens are.”
Ntshavheni also disclosed that the South African government had approved new measures to prevent the re-establishment of informal settlements after they are demolished.
The latest development follows renewed xenophobic violence targeting African migrants in South Africa, which forced many Nigerians to leave the country amid concerns over their safety.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre has shared an AI-generated image of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, frying and selling akara, days after her comments on micro-enterprises sparked widespread criticism on social media.
The image, posted on the Presidency’s official social media accounts on Friday, depicts the First Lady at a roadside akara stand wearing an apron bearing the inscription, “Iya Alakara, fueling the nation with love.”
The post followed remarks by the First Lady during an interview in which she said small-scale businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and making kuli kuli require little start-up capital.
She explained that the Federal Government was supporting such ventures with grants rather than loans as part of efforts to improve livelihoods.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant,” she had said.
Her comments triggered mixed reactions, with many Nigerians accusing her of being insensitive to the country’s economic realities, while others defended her, saying she was highlighting accessible business opportunities.
The Presidency’s AI-generated image has further fuelled debate online, with supporters describing it as a light-hearted response to critics and others condemning it as trivialising the economic hardship faced by many Nigerians.
Reacting on X, a user identified as @Top_GunM wrote, “Warra country. It’s so unfortunate. This is meant to be the wife of the president of the most populous black nation in the world and this is what she’s being reduced to.”
Another user, who tweets as #mizmuchstella, criticised the Presidency’s media team, saying, “Whoever is the handler of this account should be sacked. Your job is to position this government as good, but it is obvious you have no basic knowledge of your job.”
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