The online rivalry between Nigerians and South Africans escalated on Thursday, sparking a new wave of digital pranks targeting e-hailing services such as Bolt and Uber.
This clash saw users from both countries order rides from drivers in each other’s nations, only to cancel once the drivers arrived, in a bid to outdo each other.
South Africans reportedly initiated the trend by booking Nigerian Bolt and Uber rides and then canceling, while Nigerians retaliated in kind, leveraging their large population to amplify the prank.
As this social media battle unfolded, “South Africa” and “Bolt” became top trending topics on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), with Nigerians mobilizing online, mocking South Africans for starting a “war” they could not win.
Commentators on X joked about the jobless Nigerians having more time to dominate the game, and the fact that South Africans pay to cancel Bolt rides while Nigerians cancel for free, giving one side a clear advantage. Nigerian users began to rally, booking multiple rides in South Africa, as seen in posts boasting about dozens of canceled trips.
While some South African users admitted defeat, others expressed concern about the challenge’s impact on the livelihoods of Bolt drivers.
Calls for a truce emerged, with many warning that the ongoing rivalry could cause more harm than good, as innocent e-hailing drivers were caught in the crossfire of the online debacle.
This episode highlights the pettiness of the rivalry but also the potentially damaging consequences of such digital battles on real-world economic activities.
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