Government investigates after Nigerian rapper claims ownership of RDP houses in Gauteng
The department also issued a broader warning about the rise in housing-related scams on social media.
The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements has confirmed it is investigating a Nigerian national who went viral on social media after claiming to own and collect rent from government-subsidised houses in Roodepoort, Gauteng.
This comes after the rapper claimed that the incident was a joke.
Department takes action over viral RDP video
The department moved swiftly after a video of Nigerian rapper Scooby Nero, real name Chibuzor Nwankwo, circulated widely on social media showing him near RDP houses and claiming to collect rent from tenants.
Tasneem Motara, the Gauteng MEC for human settlements, on Monday said the video was deeply offensive, regardless of its intent.
“It has been quite a condescending video, quite insulting,” said Motara in a video shared by the department on social media, in which she addressed Gauteng residents directly.
Motara confirmed the matter was already under active investigation.
She also used the moment to remind residents of the legal boundaries governing RDP properties: it is illegal to rent out an RDP house, and selling one within the first eight years of receiving a title deed is a criminal offence.
“We are clamping down on scammers. We are investigating,” Motara said.
The MEC added that the department was simultaneously pursuing a separate court case against an individual found selling government land illegally in the Sedibeng region.
How to spot housing scams and protect yourself
Alongside the investigation, the department issued a broader warning about the rise of housing-related scams on social media.
Motara cautioned that fraudsters frequently impersonate government departments using fake logos, forged signatures and content cloned from official pages.
“If somebody is claiming to be from the department and they say to you contact them via WhatsApp, that’s a red flag,” she warned, stressing that the department only communicates through official offices or verified email addresses.
Residents were also urged never to pay money into personal bank accounts in exchange for housing application processing.
“Anybody who asks you to pay into an FNB account or a Capitec account to process your application for a house is definitely a scammer,” Motara said.
She called on South Africans to remain vigilant and stay away from any criminal activity related to housing.
Who is Scooby Nero and what did he say?
Nero sparked widespread outrage after posting a video of himself near RDP homes in Roodepoort, claiming he owned the properties and was up early to collect rent from tenants.
The clip prompted questions about whether a foreign national was illegally occupying and profiting from state-subsidised housing meant for qualifying South African beneficiaries.
Following the backlash, Nero issued an apology, saying the content was inspired by a post made by Patriotic Alliance deputy president Kenny Kunene about people paying rent to Nigerians.
“I want to give a big apology to South Africans because I never knew that it was going to blow out of proportion. It’s a trolling thing. What I do is troll, they troll me back, that’s what I do for the longest time,” he said.
Why Nero says he made the video
Nero explained that he had begun monetising his Facebook engagement around September 2025 and discovered that provocative content drove more interaction and income.
“I noticed people were constantly insulting me. I realised that Facebook encourages engagement; when you reply, you get more traction. So I started replying. But I think I took it too far, and I shouldn’t have done that. That’s not an excuse,” he said.
He added that the RDP video was intended as satire, part of a broader joke he planned to escalate by claiming to own malls, in response to videos he said people send him mocking Nigeria.
“So I made that video saying I was in the township and owned the houses, that people were my tenants, and that I was collecting rent. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m really sorry, South Africa. I didn’t mean to offend anyone,” Nero said.
He added that he was willing to submit his documents to any relevant authority and insisted he had nothing to hide.
🇿🇦How were the locals converted into RDP house Tenants by a foreign national in Roodepoort 😳 pic.twitter.com/T2wejcXMJ4
– Inside Edge (@4Inside_Edge) April 5, 2026
