Business owners on Che Guevara Road in Durban say months of protests outside the Home Affairs refugee reception centre are driving away customers and cutting their income.
The protests are being held by the anti-illegal immigration group March and March. Traders told the Sunday Tribune they have been losing money since the group began its demonstrations.
“Look outside, there are no vehicles of the customer. Customers are afraid to come because of these demonstrations. These demonstrations are crippling our business,” said Mike Rockey of Battery Centre on Che Guevara Road.
Rockey said it had become hard to pay staff because the business was losing money. He called on the relevant stakeholders to find urgent solutions.
Mohammed Shah, who owns Moore Road Cosmetics, said the protests had been going on for four months. He said this was bad for every business in the area.
“It has been hard to make enough profit since the protests started. Customers are avoiding Che Guevara Road due to these ongoing protests. We cannot even afford to pay full salaries to our staff members due to slow business,” Shah said.
Shah said each day the standoff continued was a day of lost money that traders could not get back.
According to the Sunday Tribune, the protests started outside the Durban Refugee Reception Centre. They have since grown into wider disruption, and many shops have closed early as tensions rose.
The situation grew worse after a Constitutional Court ruling ordered South Africa’s asylum system to reopen to new applicants. Thousands of foreign nationals then queued along Che Guevara Road to have their papers processed.
When the newspaper visited the centre, there was a large presence of SAPS and Durban Metro police officers. A few March and March members sat on the side of the road, opposite the Home Affairs offices.
Zandile Mthethwa, a March and March activist, said the group was there to watch whether illegal immigrants were being helped at the office.
“We do not want illegal immigrants to apply for asylum or come back to their initial camp. This is our country, we need to protect it from illegal foreigners,” she said.
Another member, Sihle Mbhele, claimed the Home Affairs system was being exploited. “We are not going anywhere until they (illegal foreigners) are all gone,” he said.
Durban Metro Police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said officers were on Che Guevara Road because of the ongoing protests linked to foreign nationals.
“Due to the growing vandalism of properties and looting around Durban, and especially around Che Guevara Road, we decided to ensure high visibility around the area to prevent any unlawful activities,” Zungu said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.