TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Fixing SA’s power crisis is not complex: it simply takes the will to do better

      12 August 2022

      Consortium makes unsolicited bid for state’s 40% stake in Telkom

      12 August 2022

      Actually, solar users should pay more to access the grid – here’s why

      12 August 2022

      Telkom says MTN talks remain on track

      12 August 2022

      Analysis | Rain muddies the waters with approach to Telkom

      11 August 2022
    • World

      Tencent woes mount, even after $560-billion selloff

      12 August 2022

      Huawei just booked its first sales rise since US blacklisting

      12 August 2022

      Apple remains upbeat about iPhone sales even as Android world suffers

      12 August 2022

      Ether at two-month high as upgrade to blockchain passes major test

      12 August 2022

      Gaming industry’s fortunes fade as pandemic ends

      11 August 2022
    • In-depth

      African unicorn Flutterwave battles fires on multiple fronts

      11 August 2022

      The length of Earth’s days has been increasing – and no one knows why

      7 August 2022

      As Facebook fades, the Mad Men of advertising stage a comeback

      2 August 2022

      Crypto breaks the rules. That’s the point

      27 July 2022

      E-mail scams are getting chillingly personal

      17 July 2022
    • Podcasts

      Qush on infosec: why prevention is always better than cure

      11 August 2022

      e4’s Adri Führi on encouraging more women into tech careers

      10 August 2022

      How South Africa can woo more women into tech

      4 August 2022

      Book and check-in via WhatsApp? FlySafair is on it

      28 July 2022

      Interview: Why Dell’s next-gen PowerEdge servers change the game

      28 July 2022
    • Opinion

      No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

      11 July 2022

      Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

      8 July 2022

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022

      Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

      13 June 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»News»MTN shuts Nigeria stores after xenophobic violence

    MTN shuts Nigeria stores after xenophobic violence

    News By Agency Staff4 September 2019
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    MTN Group and Shoprite are among South African firms facing a backlash to xenophobic violence in their home country.

    In a statement, MTN said in the past 24 hours, four MTN outlets in Nigeria have been the subject of attacks. It said it has also closed some stores in Johannesburg. There are no reported injuries.

    “While we remain committed to providing uninterrupted services, the safety and security of our customers, staff and partners is our primary concern. MTN’s stores and service centres in Nigeria have therefore been closed as a precaution,” it said.

    MTN is working with the relevant authorities and other stakeholders to focus on stabilising the situation both in Nigeria and South Africa

    “MTN is working with the relevant authorities and other stakeholders to focus on stabilising the situation both in Nigeria and South Africa and to ensure the safety and well-being of all those impacted by the unfortunate violence. We are also looking at coordinating with key stakeholders to work on medium to long term interventions to this situation.”

    Shoprite stores were attacked in at least one area of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, according to the local government. The grocer said several stores in South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia were unable to open on Wednesday because of protests. MTN, the country’s biggest mobile phone company, closed Lagos offices after following retaliatory attacks at some operations.

    Pepkor, a pan-African clothing retailer, closed 21 stores in Lagos and seven in the Zambian capital, Lusaka. A store in Lagos was looted and the supply chain was also disrupted.

    Embarrassment

    The attacks in South Africa are an embarrassment for President Cyril Ramaphosa as he hosts leaders and delegates from across the continent at the World Economic Forum Africa summit in Cape Town. The violence has also undermined his assurances that the continent’s most industrialised economy is open for business.

    Zambian President Edgar Lungu urged citizens “both locally and abroad to remain calm and disengage from acts of violence as they voice out their grievances”, on his Twitter account. “Those preaching hate must stop.”

    A statement from MTN Nigeria CEO Ferdi Moolman said the group “strongly condemns hate, prejudice and xenophobia and we reiterate our unequivocal condemnation of all violence”. A banner displaying the same sentiment was set up outside the company’s operations in Abuja, the capital. Shoprite and Pepkor released similar statements.

    The latest spate of attacks in South African broke out in Johannesburg on Sunday leading to the destruction of more than 50 shops and business premises, mainly owned by Africans from elsewhere on the continent. Cars and properties were torched and widespread looting took place.

    Nigeria’s diplomatic response was swift. President Muhammadu Buhari announced he was dispatching an envoy to his South African counterpart President Cyril Ramaphosa. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo — on his way to a meeting of African political and business leaders in Cape Town on Wednesday — said it’s “sad and very unfortunate that the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians living in South Africa are once again being destroyed”.

    Nigerian pop star Tiwa Savage cancelled a performance planned for Johannesburg later this month, calling the violence “sick”.

    MTN has faced a string of challenges in Nigeria, including government and regulatory disputes that have led to massive fines

    Ramaphosa condemned the attacks and urged security forces to quell the unrest.

    Several MTN offices were besieged by protesters in July following reports of a previous episode of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. The Johannesburg-based company is the continent’s largest mobile phone operator and has more than 60 million subscribers in Nigeria, a country of about 200 million people.

    The shares fell 1.7% to R99.05 as of 12.37pm in Johannesburg. The company has faced a string of challenges in Nigeria, including government and regulatory disputes that have led to massive fines.

    The violence against Nigerians in Johannesburg may be a reaction to extra competition for jobs and services. For their part, Nigerians often accuse South Africans of ingratitude, citing the assistance the country had provided the ruling ANC while it was a liberation movement, including hosting leaders such as Thabo Mbeki in exile.  — Reported by Dulue Mbachum, with assistance from Elisha Bala-Gbogbo, Ruth Olurounbi, Loni Prinsloo, Janice Kew and Emele Onu, (c) 2019 Bloomberg LP, with additional reporting (c) 2019 NewsCentral Media

    Cyril Ramaphosa Edgar Lungu Ferdi Moolman MTN MTN Nigeria MTN South Africa Muhammadu Buhari Pepkor Shoprite top
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleMTN launches aggressively priced fixed-LTE plans
    Next Article Sony launches Xperia 5 smartphone in compact form factor

    Related Posts

    Fixing SA’s power crisis is not complex: it simply takes the will to do better

    12 August 2022

    Consortium makes unsolicited bid for state’s 40% stake in Telkom

    12 August 2022

    Actually, solar users should pay more to access the grid – here’s why

    12 August 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    Get your brand in front of TechCentral’s amazing audience

    12 August 2022

    Pricing Beyond CMYK: printers answer the FAQs

    11 August 2022

    How secure is your cloud?

    10 August 2022
    Opinion

    No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

    11 July 2022

    Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

    8 July 2022

    South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

    4 July 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.