A march over the coronation of a “Nigerian king” turned chaotic in KuGompo City (formerly East London) after a man was stabbed.
Sithandiwe Velaphi / News24
- At least 10 vehicles were torched and multiple foreign-owned shops looted during a violent march on Buffalo City on Monday.
- Marchers turned violent after one participant claimed he had been stabbed by foreign nationals during a demonstration against the coronation of Nigerian “King” Solomon Egbonna Eziko.
- Government officials scrambled for cover as police deployed stun grenades and rubber bullets, with Deputy Minister Zolile Burns-Ncamashe taking shelter in the metro boardroom.
Several vehicles were torched and shops were damaged and looted during a violent march in Buffalo City on Monday, following the stabbing of one of the marchers.
The march, from the KuGompo City (formerly East London) beachfront to the City Hall, was over the coronation of “Nigerian King” Solomon Egbonna Eziko in the city about two weeks ago.
The march, led by nonprofit organisation March & March and various political parties, was centred on the calls for the deportation of the west African country’s “Igbo King”, whom they accused of undermining the country’s recognised traditional leadership systems.
As the organisers of the march were about to hand over their memorandum to the authorities, a local associate of March & March reported that he had been stabbed in the back.
The man claimed he had been stabbed by foreign nationals in Buffalo Street.
In retaliation, marchers left the gathering in front of the City Hall and headed to an outlet in Buffalo Street where the man had reportedly been stabbed.
A march over the coronation of a ‘Nigerian king’ turned chaotic in KuGompo City (formerly East London) after a man was stabbed.
Sithandiwe Velaphi / News24
Chaos erupted as marchers began stoning several shops belonging to foreign nationals, while others set vehicles alight.
News24 witnessed several foreign nationals closing their shops while others fled the city in fear of attacks.
As police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets to contain the situation, government officials, including Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Zolile Burns-Ncamashe, scrambled for cover in the Buffalo City Metro’s boardroom.
On her Facebook page, March & March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma claimed the man, one of its members, had been attacked by foreign nationals.
The man was taken to Frere Hospital for treatment.
Before the attack, Ngobese-Zuma told News24 the purpose of the march was to “spread the message” and called on South Africans to take “ownership of their country”.
“For so long, we have kept quiet while foreign nationals were doing as they please, so much so that they think they can [have] a king here [in KuGompo]. We are tired of foreign nationals coming to our country illegally.
“We want foreign nationals, who are not in the country legally, to exit our country. We want government to take this call seriously,” said Ngobese-Zuma.
Former radio presenter Ngizwe Mchunu, who was part of the march, said: “We are united in one voice and calling all [undocumented] foreign nationals to leave our country. We are tired of them.”
A march over the coronation of a “Nigerian king” turned chaotic in KuGompo City (formerly East London) after a man was stabbed.
Sithandiwe Velaphi / News24
Buffalo City Mayor Princess Faku condemned the violent conduct by the marchers.
“We supported their march because it is part of the efforts of defending our sovereignty, but cannot condone violence. Violence does not solve problems. It’s very sad that such an important march was turned into chaos and violence.
“We are calling for the people of Buffalo City to be calm,” said Faku.
Burns-Ncamashe said a meeting between the High Commissioner of Nigeria and various South African ministries was scheduled to take place on 8 April.
“We will come back to report to the people of [Buffalo City] and the country at large about the outcomes of the meeting.
“I also need to assure the people of South Africa that the national government has engaged the Department of International Relations and Cooperation over the coronation of a Nigerian king in our country,” said the deputy minister.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said at least 10 vehicles were torched by the angry mob.
“Thus far, no arrests have been made. Public Order Police are monitoring the affected areas. Albany, Buffalo and Oxford streets remain the most affected areas. The public is urged to exercise caution in these areas,” said Gantana.
Gantana was unable to confirm details about the attack on the local man.
Chief Mfundo Bhovulengwe Mtirara also condemned the violent conduct by the marchers.
“We took part in the march under the belief that it was going to be peaceful. The purpose of us taking part was because we felt undermined by this Nigerian king,” said Mtirara.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane also called for calm.
“While we recognise the deep-seated frustrations within communities regarding the recent incident involving immigrants of Nigerian descent, no grievance justifies the destruction of property, intimidation of individuals, or the undermining of the rule of law.
“We are aware of the tensions arising from a recent cultural event involving members of the Nigerian community in KuGompo City. We further note the correspondence from the Nigerian diplomatic mission clarifying that the event was cultural in nature and not an assertion of territorial sovereignty over any part of South Africa,“ added Mabuyane.
Attempts to get comment from the Nigerian embassy and Eziko were unsuccessful.