The murder of Isaac Satlat, a Nigerian student and Uber driver in South Africa, has sparked mixed reactions among netizens following the release of a viral video showing how he was strangled to death by car hijackers.
Satlat who hailed from Plateau state was reportedly studying in South Africa while also working with the ride-hailing company.
In what appeared to have been a planned attack, the suspected hijackers tend to have ordered the service of the 22-year-old Nigerian at Moshongo, Attridgeville, just outside Pretoria in the early hours of Wednesday.
He would however be attacked in the car by the passengers with the clip recorded by the hidden camera in the car showing one of the assailants who sat behind Satlat grabbing him while the other suspect sitting beside him ransacked his dashboard for valuables.
The distubring four-minute video showed Satlat attempting to control the car while struggling to break free from the grip of the hijacker behind.
The other member of the gang sitting beside him and identified as a female appeared unfazed with the assault as she kept running through the car.
Satlat would eventually succumb to the grip of the hijacker who held his head and choked him in the process.
He made few weak attempts to break off the grip before finally becoming motionless.
The hijacker who strangled Satlat would transfer his body to the back seat with the help of another suspect who was out of the camera view.
According to reports, the Nigerian student’s vehicle was later found abandoned, while his body was discovered some kilometres away in Moshongo.
The murder of Satlat which came few days after another Nigerian, Emeka Uzor, was allegedly shot dead had sparked outrage from netizens as demand for justice intensified.
While some South African netizens had condemned the attack and confirmed the arrest of the lady caught in the video, others however defended the attack as they blamed Nigerians for the spread of illicit drugs in their country.
“I was on tiktok when someone was talking about this incident, South Africans in the comments section supported the killing. They don’t like us and they’ve always made it obvious, why be stubborn and still go to a place you are not wanted. Why not respect yourself and go to other countries.”@vibes5263
“For your information EVERY Nigerian in South Africa is a criminalal and is irregularly here. For example…if this person was a student what type of VISA also allows him to do ehailing on the side??????”@MzansiWarrior
“The shot by the police story comes from you, no South African has ever reported that nonsense of urs, we know u want free twitter money but no need to start lies, the story of a E-hailing driver is sad and u can share without adding spices. u are a shameless piece of trash.”@kabelodick
“You are also not helping with your lies and nonsensical reporting. This young man suffered to heartless criminals. The lady involved has since been found and arrested by the South African Police Service and appears in court 2026-02-16. May the soul of the young man rest in peace.”@!ejaborekhu
“Go through the comments and see these evil south africans celebrating the death of a human being because he’s Nigerian. How can a whole country be filled with heartless people? NIGERIANS LEAVE THAT COUNTRY!”@ReignSOL
“Nigerians need to stop going to South Africa. I don’t care how good the universities are or what opportunities exist there. When the same thing keeps happening and your people keep dying under suspicious circumstances with the same “he was a criminal” excuse every time, at some point you have to accept you’re not welcome there and act accordingly. May his soul rest in peace.”@The_Great_JiRI
“I have said it before, and I will say it again, those guys there are blood thirsty monsters, they killed one of their own(Lucky Dube) cause they thought he was Nigerian, seem them in the comment section of other posts showing the killing, Celebrating, Nigerians be wise leave SA alone!!!!”@EniWanogho
“This is heartbreaking to watch. Nigerians have been targeted in SA for several years now the hate on us is too much. If our leaders were considerate enough we wouldn’t have a reason to even need a visa to enter SA talkless of going there to hustle.”@darky_9999
“As South Africans, we have condemned the criminality. We even went as far as circulating the images and videos for arrests. That the nedia said he shot at police is ONE BIG FAT LIE. That drug dealer deserved what he got for poisoning our communities and shooting at our cops. Everyone is a victim of crime this is not about NATIONALITIES. To hell with you pushing xenophobic propaganda!!”@Zamaswati_M
“That’s why I had to quit that e-hailing business. I got hijacked twice and the 2nd time they put me in the trunk of of own vehicle and went to dump me in a Forrest at night with my hands and knees tied. Now I sell fruit.” @Woodscissor
“It’s sad what happened to Isaac. Crime affects everyone here. This country has a serious crime problem. Isaac wasn’t targeted because he was Nigerian — this could have happened to a South African driver too. Just a few months ago, the taxi mafia torched the car of a South African Uber driver in Johannesburg. The same thing could have happened to a Nigerian. Crime in South Africa doesn’t check your passport before it attacks you. The woman in the front seat has been arrested. Now we hope the guy in the back seat who strangled him gets arrested too.”@maboss_1
