Protests against the controversial coronation of a Nigerian traditional ruler exploded into violence on Monday, with demonstrators torching vehicles, looting foreign-owned businesses and targeting shops in the KuGompo area of the Eastern Cape.
The unrest, which began as a march by ActionSA, traditional leaders and local residents, quickly descended into targeted attacks on properties allegedly belonging to foreigners, including Nigerians, Ethiopians and Somalis. Videos circulating on social media showed thick black smoke rising from burning cars and buildings as police scrambled to restore order. Reports from the scene described mobs storming a butchery to steal meat, while at least one stabbing incident involving Ethiopian shop owners left two people hospitalised.
The trigger for the chaos was the recent installation of Chief Solomon Ogbonna Eziko as “Igwe Ndigbo Na East London” – a title given to him by members of the local Igbo community in a ceremony held less than two weeks ago. Traditional authorities and political groups have condemned the event as an unlawful challenge to South Africa’s recognised traditional leadership structures and the authority of the amaRharhabe kingdom under King Sandile.
ActionSA’s Eastern Cape chair, Athol Trollip, told SABC that his party stands firmly with traditional leaders in opposing the installation.
Former radio personality Ngizwe Mchunu said on Newzroom Afrika, “History will judge us wrong if we allow such a mistake to happen on our watch. The political organisation that liberated this country failed.” He went further, demanding that the so-called Nigerian king return home. “The so-called Nigerian king installed in the Eastern Cape must return to his home country,” Mchunu stated.
Prince Xhanti Sigcawu of the Amathole House of Traditional Leaders expressed raw anger at the development. “I’m pissed off that Nigerians could come here and claim to have a king here,” he said, adding that the government must deport the people who participated in the coronation for undermining the authority of local kings.
Eastern Cape MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zolile Williams, distanced his department entirely from the event, insisting it had no official involvement. Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso, chairman of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, echoed the rejection, stating the coronation violated established customs.
The Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA) attempted to calm tensions by describing the title as purely ceremonial. NUSA president Nwobi Smart said the role was created to preserve Igbo culture abroad and serve as a cultural ambassador between the Nigerian community, local authorities and embassies.
“This cultural ambassador will look to be the middle man between local authorities of the Nigerians who stay in this area plus including the middle man for the embassies or consulate in case something happens,” he explained.
As night fell on Monday, police had not confirmed the exact number of arrests or injuries, but eyewitness accounts and live reports indicated widespread destruction of foreign-owned property. The incidents have reignited fears of xenophobic violence in a province already scarred by past attacks on migrants.
Local traditional leaders and ActionSA have vowed to continue pressing authorities for intervention, warning that failure to address the issue could spark even greater unrest. For now, the streets of KuGompo remain tense, with the coronation of one man exposing deep fault lines over culture, sovereignty and immigration in South Africa.
