The “Bolt for Bolt” challenge kicked off as a playful prank but swiftly morphed into a full-blown social media clash between Nigeria and South Africa. It all started when a cheeky South African user decided to have some fun by booking a ride in Nigeria on the Bolt app and then cancelling it. What seemed like a harmless joke quickly snowballed, as more South African users followed suit, booking and cancelling rides in Nigeria like clockwork.
Nigerians, not ones to back down from a challenge, struck back with their own pranks, booking and cancelling rides in South Africa. What ensued was a frenetic prank war that took social media by storm. The hashtag #BoltforBolt exploded on X (formerly Twitter), with a staggering 44,000 posts by August 22, 2024.
But this joke had a downside. Drivers on both sides of the border found themselves wasting precious time, fuel, and energy on fake ride requests. Frustrated drivers vented their anger online, turning the prank into a serious issue. The challenge also highlighted simmering tensions between the two nations, already frayed by past incidents like xenophobic attacks and online spats.
Bolt, recognizing the chaos, stepped in to quell the madness. The company blocked accounts involved in the prank and put the brakes on intercountry ride bookings between Nigeria and South Africa. They also acknowledged the financial strain on their drivers and promised to tackle the issue head-on.
What began as a joke ended up causing real-world disruptions, proving that sometimes, what starts as a prank can spiral into something much bigger and more complex.
