MTN, Stanbic Bank Uganda Break Silence On Boycott Over S.Africa Xenophobia

By Swift Reporter

MTN Uganda and Stanbic Bank Uganda have moved to calm customers after social media was flooded with calls urging Ugandans to boycott the two companies over ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The two institutions found themselves at the center of an online campaign that claimed their services could be disrupted because of growing anti-foreigner violence in South Africa, where their parent companies are headquartered.

A widely shared graphic warned the public against keeping money on MTN Mobile Money and advised customers to be cautious when dealing with Stanbic Bank, alleging that “anything can happen anytime.”

However, MTN Uganda has dismissed the claims as false and misleading.

In a public statement issued on Monday, the telecom giant said its attention had been drawn to a fake graphic circulating on social media and urged customers to disregard the misinformation.

“Our attention has been drawn to a fake graphic circulating on social media containing false and misleading claims about MTN Uganda. We advise customers and the general public to disregard the misinformation,” the company said.

The clarification came just hours after MTN experienced a separate technical disruption caused by a major power outage at one of its data centres.

The outage temporarily affected voice, internet and Mobile Money (MoMo) services for a section of customers across the country.

MTN explained that engineers immediately began restoration efforts before later confirming that all Mobile Money services had been fully restored.

“We are pleased to inform you that MTN MoMo services have been restored. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience and understanding during the service interruption,” the company said in a follow-up notice.

The timing of the technical outage coincided with the circulation of the fake boycott graphic, prompting speculation online that the service interruptions were connected to the developments in South Africa. MTN has, however, maintained that the outage resulted from a power failure at one of its data centres and was unrelated to the viral claims.

The social media campaign emerged amid fresh reports of xenophobic attacks in parts of South Africa, where foreign nationals and businesses have reportedly come under attack, reigniting calls for African consumers to boycott South African-owned brands operating across the continent.

Although Stanbic Bank Uganda had not issued a detailed public statement at the time the boycott campaign began circulating, the viral graphic specifically naming the bank was branded fake by MTN, which urged the public not to spread or rely on the misinformation.

The developments have sparked widespread debate on social media, with some users calling for economic pressure against South African businesses while others warned against targeting locally operated companies that employ thousands of Ugandans and contribute significantly to the country’s economy.

For now, MTN says all Mobile Money services have returned to normal and has urged customers to rely only on official communication channels for verified information.