On The Unending Rift Between Nigerians and South Africans

By Zayd Ibn Isah

If you’re a Nigerian or South African who frequently uses social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter), there’s a high chance you are aware of the online hostilities (or banter, as millenials put it) which often arise between your country and the other. To be clear, this digital attrition of words was only possible due to the Internetʼs ability to shrink miles and miles of distance between geographic areas.

It is not entirely clear when this digital conflict between two famous African brothers began, but three factors are important to consider here: the migration of Nigerians to South Africa and subsequent settlement within the country; the history of socio-political relations between both nations, particularly in relation to the apartheid era; and the global cultural influences of both nations.

The latest episode in this protracted saga between Nigerians and South Africans seems to have stemmed from the Miss South Africa 2024 beauty pageant controversy surrounding Chidinma Adetshina, which engulfed social media and reignited embers of animosity between both nations. After Chidinma was forced to withdraw from the beauty pageant due to concerns over the validity of her citizenship, Nigerians engaged in a tussle of verbal criticism and outright derision with South Africans on Facebook and Twitter.

And just when it appeared as if tensions had cooled down (Chidinma would later be invited to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria contest, and welcomed warmly by sympathetic Nigerians), fresh battle lines were redrawn by a South African man’s social media post. In the man’s social media post, he claimed that whenever he is bored, he requests a Bolt ride in Nigeria just to prank unsuspecting drivers. The manʼs confession, far from being met with ridicule or indignation, was applauded by some of his fellow countrymen. And just like that, other South Africans began to emulate the manʼs actions by ordering rides in Nigeria (particularly within Lagos) using the Bolt app.

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Unsurprisingly, this did not sit well with Nigerians on social media. For one, the country is currently plagued by severe fuel scarcity coupled with the present economic state which has been hard upon a majority of Nigerians. As such, the prankster actions of the South Africans were viewed as highly insensitive, childish and senseless. Some people even saw it as a form of wickedness, making innocent hardworking Nigerians to waste precious time, effort and resources. You would think that Nigerians would only call out the South Africans behind this on their foolishness, and by doing so, show themselves to be of a higher level of sensibility.

Unfortunately, many Nigerians preferred the course of retaliation, and they too, began ordering fake rides on Bolt and other e-hailing services within South Africaʼs major cities and residential zones. Within a span of several hours, things began to take a comic turn of epic proportions as hundreds of Bolt drivers in South Africa were inundated with fake ride requests that only led to hilarious exchanges on the apps. The Nigerians behind these ride requests would get unsuspecting drivers to reach certain destinations, before chatting them up in bizarre exchanges, all in the name of cruise as it is popularly known on social media. In a particular exchange, one of the Nigerian pranksters asked a South African driver to get inside a police station (the pickup location set in the app) and ask for a plate of delicious jollof rice. Riding services weren’t the sole targets of Nigerians retaliating in this saga, as pretty much any digital service in South Africa, from food delivery to online shopping, attracted Nigerians who would use them to send packages to the clueless inhabitants at certain addresses within the country.

At this point, social media banter had metamorphosed to produce real-life consequences, as innocent Bolt drivers and businesses were forced to count their losses and deal with the frustration of being caught in the crossfire of a pointless online-based war of misguided passion, tortured loyalties and sheer stupidity. After a day or two, the rate of pranks from both sides dwindled and online services like Bolt began to put measures in place to fix the loopholes which made it possible for such acts of tomfoolery to occur in the first place. At the end of it all, South Africans and Nigerians had only managed to further worsen relations and perceptions of each other they shared, contributing negatively to a long history of conflict, with this latest episode becoming just another chapter in a rivalry spanning at least three decades.

Looking back at the history of relations between Nigeria and South Africa, one can trace the start of this friction to the mid-90s. But before then, as Reno Omokri (in a post appealing for a ceasefire to the hostilities) and several others have pointed out, Nigeria had more or less acted as a Big Brother to South Africa. After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, it helped to mount pressure on the apartheid regime that had for so many years repressed and marginalized black South Africans. The Nigerian government even went as far as imposing a special tax, the Mandela Tax, to raise funds for the African National Congressʼ liberation cause in South Africa. The records obviously certify that Nigeria contributed fairly to the emancipation of South Africa from the grip of apartheid.

However, the period after Mandela was released from prison to become president in South Africa saw the Rainbow Nation take a pronounced stance on human rights that caused it to clash with the military regime of General Sani Abacha. Mandela would famously condemn the execution of playwright Ken-Saro-Wiwa in 1995, causing relations between both countries to deteriorate even further. Ironically, this monumental period sparked the well-known football rivalry that now exists between the soccer teams of both countries.

After winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria remained clear favourites as champions to defend the title in the 1996 edition hosted by South Africa. Unfortunately, Abacha would order the national team’s withdrawal from the tournament. He did this, citing concerns over the welfare of Nigeria’s players after Mandela’s criticism of his policies and actions. Till date, many believe that South Africa would not have won that edition of the tournament if Nigeria had participated, an assertion buoyed by the historic gold medal triumph of the famed Dream Team at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

Since the close of the 20th century, a multifaceted rivalry spanning economics, socio-cultural reach and sports has bloomed between Nigeria and South Africa. This has made the two countries to be at loggerheads for different reasons. But while this sort of rivalry has mostly been competitive, there have been occasions where things took a turn for the worst. As unemployment, crime and inflation rose in post-apartheid South Africa, xenophobic attacks were ignited by frustrated citizens who not only viewed successful immigrants with envy, but accused Nigerian organised crime groups of running harmful drug-pushing, prostitution and human trafficking operations within their communities. These accusations have yet to be officially confirmed as facts, but when has the truth ever been necessary to propel hate? Waves of xenophobia have swept through South Africa in 2009, 2015 and 2019, with foreign businesses and migrants often being the main targets of reckless violence.

Much more recently, in 2019, Nigerian officials had to repatriate more than 600 citizens after riots fueled by xenophobic sentiments in Pretoria and Johannesburg targeted foreign businesses. I remember seeing horrifying images and videos of this particular time, thanks to social media, and being forced to contend with the destruction that xenophobia can wreak upon communities. None of it made any sense to me, and I’m sure a lot of people were baffled as well. But then, I realized that even down here in Nigeria, there have been several instances where prominent ethnic groups have clashed, with one side often telling the other to “leave our land and go back to your state.”

Social media has not helped matters at all, and you might even say that it works to help spread divisive sentiments that end up fanning the flames of tribalism and xenophobia. In another vein, the rise of social media has amplified debates or banter usually revolving around which country is superior in terms of musical exports, sporting achievements and economic development, providing fodder for an already intense rivalry. In the build-up to the AFCON semifinal clash between Nigeria and South Africa earlier this year, the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria felt the need to put out an advisory to Nigerian citizens living in South Africa, calling for “good conduct” and saying that “should any provocations arise, they should not be reciprocated.”

While such statements might unwittingly create unnecessary alarm and tension, they are not totally out of pocket. After all, the ugly scar of xenophobia is simply the greatest strain to relations between Naija and Mzansi. Admittedly, Nigerians are often more than willing to engage in social media antics such as those involving Bolt rides recently, but there has never been a time where South African businesses in Nigeria were subjected to violent reprisals following these xenophobic attacks.

In the aftermath of the xenophobic attacks in 2019, the South African government apologised to Nigeria. But apologies are not enough, and with the state of things between our countries presently, there is a need to ensure that the basis of bilateral relations would not be totally destroyed by social media madness. The protection of immigrants and their properties and businesses must be a top priority for the South African government, as xenophobia doesn’t exactly favour perceptions of the country at the global stage. Additionally, the South African government must also address the social ills of poverty and inequality that are root causes of xenophobia. Many young black South Africans often feel deprived and marginalized economically, and when ranting on social media is not enough, violence becomes a more satisfying outlet for their grievances.

Ultimately, Nigeria and South Africa—as the top economies in Africa, must refrain from always considering each other as rivals. Rather, there should be mutual efforts to restore and cultivate peaceful relationships for the sake of progress. We cannot afford to relay hateful sentiments to coming generations. This is why we must begin working together for the sake of our continent, because sustained hostility would end up doing us more harm than good in the long run.

Isah can be reached via [email protected]