5 Murdered in South Africa as MTN, MultiChoice and Shoprite shut Branches in Nigeria amid Protests

Five people, all foreign nationals, have been killed in the ongoing Xenophobic violence and protests in South Africa.

The violence which erupted late last week has seen businesses owned by citizens from other African countries looted, property damaged and truck drivers from neighboring countries being targeted and torched in the violent attacks.

South Africa – Pretoria – 29 August 2019 – Calm restored in the Pretoria CBD following burning of foreign owned shops. Photo: Africa News Agency / ANA

In a retaliatory move, Nigerian protesters took to the streets of Lagos on Tuesday evening to vent their anger by throwing stones and destroyed properties owned by SA brands such as MTN, Shoprite and MultiChoice.

Dozens of shoppers descended on Novare Shoprite Mall in Lekki, near Lagos, Nigeria and looted goods of unknown value while torching a police truck. Several other SA owned stores including PEP, MTN were looted and property destroyed in Surulere and Jakande.

Following the protests, South African television group MultiChoice has shut its offices and branches in Nigeria and Zambia, “We have had to shut branches and offices to safeguard customers and staff until further notices,” said its head of corporate affairs Jabavu Heshu on a statement on Wednesday morning.

On its case, MTN Group said it had closed its stores and service centers in Nigeria “as a precaution” after four stores in Nigeria were attacked on Tuesday evening. Sources indicate that the company also closed several stores in Johannesburg. The company, in a statement condemned the acts of violence.

Shoprite Holdings said in a statement on Wednesday that several stores in South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia were closed and extensive damage had been done to several supermarkets over the past 24 hours.

“(Shoprite) is highly concerned about the acts of xenophobic violence against foreign nationals that sporadically flare up and the resultant rhetoric of intolerance that is levelled against foreigners and the platform this creates for criminals to exploit this,” the company said in a statement.