The customary battle of supremacy between Nigeria and South Africa went viral on Thursday, with netizens from both countries ordering fake e-hailing rides from the rival nation, and then cancelling the orders once the drivers arrived at the pickup location.
Giving a background to the “war,” X user, Oyindamola🙄 @dammiedammie35, tweeted on Thursday: “South Africans did their own for more than 24 hours yesterday and our bolt drivers still managed to function throughout the entire time. Naija started their own today and the entire South Africa bolt drivers went offline within 6 hours… don’t play.”
What began as a lighthearted digital squabble between both countries, spiraled into economic consequences.
The sudden flood of ride requests quickly put a strain on operations, leading to a decline in service quality and user satisfaction.
The trend allegedly began as a form of typical online pettiness on the part of South Africans who pranked drivers in Nigeria by booking rides on Bolt and Uber and then cancelling them.
In response to what many have described as an acute waste of resources when fuel prices are constantly increasing, some Nigerians are retaliating by also pranking drivers in South Africa.
The digital war is reportedly linked to a recent rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa, sparked by beauty model Chidimma Adetshina withdrawal from the Miss South Africa pageant.
She faced backlash and xenophobic attacks due to a nationality dispute and choosing to compete for Miss Universe Nigeria instead.
Beyond this, the virtual ride or die game has raised questions about the safety measures ride-hailing platforms like Uber and Bolt have put in place to prevent fraudulent bookings.
Yahaya Mohammed, the Nigerian Country Manager for Bolt said, “Bolt is aware of the incident involving fake ride requests between individuals in Nigeria and South Africa.”
“We have successfully taken measures to resolve the issue of fake ride requests affecting our driver-partners, particularly those operating in Nigeria and South Africa. The integrity and safety of our platform, both for driver-partners and riders, is our utmost priority.”
However, at the time of this report, the prank has escalated into an all-out battle that’s seeing citizens from both African nations booking and then cancelling rides on the ride-hailing app, consequently wasting drivers’ time and causing them to lose money in real time.
Some X users have raised concerns over its impact on drivers who rely on these rides for their livelihood, with some calling for a truce, recognising that the ongoing battle is harming innocent people.
