ActionSA President and Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Herman Mashaba, has praised Nigeria following the sentencing of a South African woman for drug trafficking.
Mashaba made the comment on Friday after reports that 38-year-old Will Jessica Ann had been sentenced by the Federal High Court in Abuja over the importation of 5.75kg of heroin into Nigeria.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said Ann was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on July 6, 2026, after 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75kg were found in her luggage.
Reacting to the conviction in a post on X, Mashaba thanked Nigeria and contrasted the case with what he described as failures by the South African Government and justice system.
“We thank Nigeria for doing what our government and justice system fails to do with the full load of Nigerians who smuggle drugs, turn our children into zombies by feeding them drugs, and prostitute our women and girls. When will we wake up and restore law and order?” Mashaba wrote.
His comments were directed at South Africa’s approach to drug-related offences and illegal activities. The remarks about Nigerians were made by Mashaba and do not establish that Nigerians generally engage in the activities he mentioned.
South African woman arrested in Abuja
According to the NDLEA, Ann arrived in Nigeria from Doha on a Qatar Airways flight after travelling from Cambodia.
The agency said she was travelling with her three-year-old son when officers discovered the drugs in two suitcases bearing baggage tags linked to her passport.
She was subsequently arraigned before Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges bordering on unlawful importation of heroin and conspiracy.
Ann pleaded guilty to the charges.
The NDLEA said the court sentenced her to a total of 40 years on the two counts. The agency reported that the sentences were 15 years and 25 years respectively, with the terms ordered to run concurrently.
The court’s sentencing followed the prosecution of the case by the NDLEA.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the conviction showed that Nigeria would not provide a “soft landing” for international drug trafficking networks.
The agency also said Ann’s husband, Jan Coenraad De Jager, was arrested in Johannesburg on July 27 while allegedly attempting to traffic 3.2kg of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.
Mashaba’s political background
Mashaba is the president of ActionSA and has been selected by the party as its candidate for mayor of Johannesburg in South Africa’s 2026 local government elections.
He previously served as Johannesburg’s mayor from 2016 to 2019.
His latest comments come amid continuing debate in South Africa over drug trafficking, crime and enforcement of the law.