“South Africans don’t want African foreigners in their country,” reads the caption of a Facebook reel posted on March 30, 2026.
“South African protesters burn vehicles and buildings owned by foreigners in protest against the installation of a ‘Nigerian King’ in Eastern Cape,” the post adds.
The accompanying clip shows three minibuses on fire and another with signs of damage.
Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, taken on April 2, 2026
The same video was also shared on X by a user AFP Fact Check has previously debunked. The account frequently publishes content disparaging foreigners in South Africa.
A royal controversy
On March 30, 2026, South African political parties and an organisation known for its stance against undocumented migrants protested the purported coronation of a Nigerian king in KuGompo City (formerly East London), in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province (archived here).
South Africa’s state broadcaster and a Nigerian media organisation reported that the demonstrations turned violent, leaving several people injured, and properties and cars set alight (archived here and here).
Days before the protest, the media had reported that Solomon Ogbonna Eziko had been installed as the Igbo (a Nigerian tribe) king of KuGompo City (archived here).
Although marchers torched vehicles, the footage of burning taxis shared on Facebook was recorded more than four years ago.
2021 clash
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led to an October 14, 2021, YouTube upload about violence in Gqeberha, over 280 kilometres away from KuGumpo City, following a traffic incident (archived here).
“Violence in the streets of Gqeberha,” the video’s title reads in Afrikaans.
The descriptions adds: “Numerous taxis and cars burned after a minibus taxi crashed into an Audi.”
Additional keyword searches found articles from local media dated October 13, 2021, corroborating the incident and reporting that the conflict began after a collision between a Somali business owner’s car and a local taxi driver (archived here and here).
A fight ensued between the two and escalated into gunshots and retaliatory attacks, including the burning of businesses and taxis, according to government authorities at the time (archived here and here).
The reports pinpoint the exact location of the destruction seen in the clip as Durban Road in Korsten, Gqeberha.
The same features, including the burning vehicles and a blue container, can be seen in both the circulating video and visuals from reports on the 2021 clashes.
Screenshots comparing the video circulating in March 2026 (left) with reports from 2021, taken on April 7, 2026
Nigeria’s apology
Nigerian officials in Pretoria later apologised for the so-called “coronation” and clarified that it was merely a cultural celebration, and not the official installation of a Nigerian king in South Africa (archived here and here).
“They are just there to celebrate their cultural activity, to celebrate themselves. Not as a political or traditional institution,” Olajide Ogunmadeji, Deputy Acting High Commissioner said.
“On behalf of the High Commissioner…the Embassy, and…the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I am tendering our apology to the traditional institutions of South Africa,” he added.
@encanews The Nigerian Embassy in Pretoria has apologised for the confusion around the ‘coronation’ of an Igbo King in the Eastern Cape. Angry South Africans handed over a memorandum to Deputy Acting High Commissioner Olajide Ogunmadeji. Yesterday, protests in the Eastern Cape, turned violent.
#eNCA#DStv403♬ original sound – eNCA
In South Africa, a parliamentary act governs traditional leadership, including the recognition of royal households (archived here).
The subject is particularly contentious in the Eastern Cape after state-backed commissions reclassified or withdrew royal status from some traditional authorities, igniting disputes over historical legitimacy and customary power (archived here).
Fact Check
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