The South African government has ruled out paying compensation for illegal structures occupied by foreign nationals, while calling on the Nigerian government to provide information on locations allegedly used for drug-related activities by Nigerians in the country.

The remarks were made by South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni during a briefing on government policy regarding foreign-owned assets and informal settlements.

Government insists only legal properties are protected

Ntshavheni said foreign nationals who legally own assets in South Africa are free to sell them before leaving the country, stressing that only properties recognised under South African law qualify for legal protection.

According to her, houses are registered with the Deeds Registry, vehicles through the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), while businesses are registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission.

“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 said.

She maintained that informal settlements and illegal structures do not qualify as recognised properties under the law.

Calls for information on alleged drug locations

The minister also called on the Nigerian government to provide information on places allegedly being used for drug-related activities.

“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.

Ntshavheni added that authorities would continue clearing illegal settlements in line with court judgments and warned that no compensation would be paid for structures considered unlawful.

“There’s no compensation that will come from government,” she said, adding that owners of legally registered properties remain free to dispose of their assets through South Africa’s property market before leaving the country.

The comments come amid ongoing discussions over immigration enforcement, illegal settlements and crime involving foreign nationals in South Africa.