Protesters in South Africa on Monday set ablaze vans, trucks, and other properties belonging to foreign nationals over the installation of one Solomon Ezike as Igwe Ndigbo on March 14, 2026, in KuGumbo, formerly called East London, in the Eastern Cape Province.
The protest, led by the March and March civil organisation, supported by traditional leaders and political parties—ActionSA and Patriotic Alliance—described the installation of the Nigerian king in the area as unlawful and disrespectful.
It was gathered that the protesters destroyed properties after they had, earlier in the day, handed over a memorandum to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs at City Hall, expressing their displeasure with the coronation of the Nigerian king in their community. They called for urgent government intervention.
The demonstration also witnessed the protesters allegedly targeting businesses believed to be Nigerian-owned, including a nightclub, which was already closed.
While efforts to put out the blaze with extinguishers failed, the police fired stun grenades to disperse the protesters and prevent further damage.
No loss of lives or physical injuries has been reported at the time of this report.
The Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) in Johannesburg said it had written to the Nigerian Embassy, which, in turn, has written to the South African authorities.
President General of the apex umbrella body for all Nigerian citizens living in South Africa, Frank Onyekwelu, explained to Peoples Gazette that the ceremony was not a coronation but an installation of the king to establish and celebrate their heritage, customs, and traditions.
Mr Onyekwelu said the association was working closely with the Nigerian embassy and had done “its best” to prevent the protest.
“The properties and vehicles that are being damaged are not only Nigerian properties. We’re still making calls, observing, and calling the authorities to intervene and stop the damage to properties, assets and human lives.
“The Nigerian Embassy is fully aware of the situation. We’ve written to them; they’ve also written to the South African authorities. This has now gone out of hand; we tried before now to prevent this,” he said.
“Yes, there was an installation of a king, but there was no coronation or kingdom established, it was not politically propelled, and there was no interest.
“It was just a group of community personnel coming together to establish their heritage and celebrate their customs and ceremonial traditions. That’s all about it, but it was taken out of context, misinterpreted, and misrepresented, and that’s why it’s actually making waves now,” Mr Onyekwelu said.
He added, “We’ll further address it with South African authorities and the community. But the Nigerian consulate and the Nigerian embassy are working closely with the authorities to calm the situation down.”
Asked if he is aware of any arrests, injuries, or deaths resulting from the violent protests, he said, “At the moment, no. This is currently going on; those questions may not have answers now, and the tension is still high. We don’t know if there’s any arrest yet, but police authorities and other security agencies are on ground now.”
The chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, declined The Gazette’s requests for comments.
