South African model and beauty ambassador Phumzile Grace Ntashabele has spoken candidly about what she says fuels anti-Nigerian sentiment in South Africa, framing it as rooted in crime frustrations rather than blanket xenophobia. while urging justice for a Nigerian teen brutally killed in Pretoria.
Ntashabele, crowned Mrs Global Universe South Africa 2025, was interviewed by PUNCH about the murder of 22-year-old Nigerian Isaac Satlat, an e-hailing driver and close friend of her son.
“Isaac was full of life … he was respectful everywhere,” Ntashabele told PUNCH of the young man, who was studying mechanical engineering and had a promising future before he was killed responding to a ride-hailing request.
She described Isaac as part of her extended family and said she had encouraged him into modelling after first meeting him at Soweto Fashion Week in 2024.
Crime
Asked whether the attack was xenophobic, Ntashabele insisted it was not.
“It was not Nigeria versus South Africa … they just wanted an e-hailing driver,” she said, noting that no personal items were stolen from the vehicle where his body was found.
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She said South Africans frustrated by drug trafficking and criminality have channelled those feelings into hostility towards Nigerians as a group, a stereotype she firmly rejects. “Not all Nigerians are criminals … I’ve been friends with Nigerians for the past 25 years,” Ntashabele said.
Despite her defence of Nigerians, she has faced online abuse for speaking out. “I’m told to leave South Africa because I am siding with drug dealers,” she said.
Court Updates, Justice Plea
Ntashabele provided new details on the legal aftermath of Isaac’s death.
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Initially, a 25-year-old woman surrendered to police, followed by two other suspects who appeared in court on February 16, with their next hearing set for February 23 in a Pretoria court. A fourth suspect also surrendered recently.
Ntashabele said circulating the video of Isaac’s last moments on social media was key to the arrests and urged African nationals in South Africa to continue supporting efforts for justice and bring his body home.
She also called for severe punishment for the suspects, saying they “don’t deserve bail … they deserve life imprisonment.”
