E-hailing apps Uber and Bolt have suspended inter-country requests between Nigeria and South Africa following constant incidents of pranking that has led to a high volume of cancelled requests.
Over the past two days, the apps have become battlegrounds for a conflict between Nigerians and South Africans over a beauty pageant contestant.
Earlier this month, model Chidimma Adetshina pulled out of the Miss South Africa contest following public outcry and xenophobic attacks over her nationality.
Adetshina, who was born in South Africa, was targeted because her father is Nigerian and her mother has Mozambican roots. Soon after, organizers of a similar contest in Nigeria invited Adetshina to participate in their event, and she accepted.
The incident fueled the long-standing tension between the two countries, which perceive each other as economic competitors — and South Africans found an unlikely medium to vent their rage.
On August 21, Uber and Bolt users in South Africa started booking hoax rides in Nigeria to prank gig workers in the country. Once a booking was confirmed, the customer would send misleading location details to the driver before eventually canceling the ride.
Several South Africans posted screenshots of their prank on social media, inciting Nigerians to retaliate.
By the next day, the number of such bookings in both countries was so high that users in Lagos, Cape Town, and Johannesburg took to social media to complain about the sharp increase in fares due to surge pricing. Real customers struggled to find rides, leading Bolt to restrict inter-country ride requests.
“Following a thorough investigation and the implementation of enhanced security measures, we have addressed this issue swiftly by restricting inter-country ride requests,” Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s Nigeria country manager, told Rest of World.
“Additionally, those responsible for this malicious activity have been identified and held accountable by blocking them from the Bolt app.”
Tope Akinwumi, country manager for Uber in Nigeria, told Rest of World the hoax bookings violate Uber’s community guidelines and the company is investigating the issue.
By Mark Ogagan
Social media war between Nigerians and South Africans has taken a bigger turn in the wake of the Chidimma Adetshina saga as the controversy turned Uber into an unlikely battlefield between both countries.
Over the past two days, ride hailing apps Uber and Bolt have become battlegrounds for a conflict between nationals of both countries over the beauty pageant contestant.
Earlier this month, model Chidimma Adetshina pulled out of the Miss South Africa contest following public outcry and xenophobic attacks over her ethnicity. Adetshina, who was born in South Africa, was targeted because her father is Nigerian and her mother has Mozambican roots.
Soon after, organizers of a similar contest in Nigeria invited Adetshina to participate in their event, and she accepted.
The incident fueled the long-standing tension between the two countries, which perceive each other as economic competitors — and South Africans found an unlikely medium to vent their rage.
On August 21, Uber and Bolt users in South Africa started booking hoax rides in Nigeria to prank gig workers in the country. Once a booking was confirmed, the customer would send misleading location details to the driver before eventually canceling the ride. Several South Africans posted screenshots of their prank on social media, inciting Nigerians to retaliate.
By the next day, the number of such bookings in both countries was so high that users in Lagos, Cape Town, and Johannesburg took to social media to complain about the sharp increase in fares due to surge pricing. Real customers struggled to find rides, leading Bolt to restrict inter-country ride requests.
“Following a thorough investigation and the implementation of enhanced security measures, we have addressed this issue swiftly by restricting inter-country ride requests,” Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s Nigeria country manager, said.
“Additionally, those responsible for this malicious activity have been identified and held accountable by blocking them from the Bolt app.”
Tope Akinwumi, country manager for Uber in Nigeria, stated that the hoax bookings violate Uber’s community guidelines and the company is investigating the issue.
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