South African government has said Nigerians who lost businesses and properties during xenophobic attacks can still pursue legal ownership of those assets, provided they can establish proof of ownership.
The assurance was given by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, during a Media briefing after a closed-door meeting with the Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, in Abuja.
The meeting forms part of ongoing engagements aimed at finding lasting solutions to the issue, and at preserving one of Africa’s most strategic bilateral relationships.
The South African Envoy reaffirmed his country’s commitment to continuous engagement to de-escalate the crisis.
On the matter of abandoned assets and properties belonging to Nigerians, he assured that “all hope is not lost.”
For many Nigerians affected by the xenophobic violence, the promise of legal recourse may not erase the trauma and losses of the past.
However, it offers a renewed opportunity to pursue justice through established legal channels.
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(Editor: Ken Eseni)
