Che Guevara Road
Xolani Dlamini|Published
Durban traders say ongoing protests outside the Home Affairs refugee reception centre have reduced customer numbers and disrupted trading on Che Guevara Road.
They said that the anti-illegal immigration protests by March and March was taking a toll on local businesses, with traders facing mounting financial distress as the protests continue to disrupt their operations and threaten their livelihoods.
Local businesses said they had been losing money since March and March began its demonstrations.
When sundaytribune.co.za visited the Department of Home Affairs Durban Refugee Reception Centre today, a high presence of SAPS members and Durban Metro police was present.
A few members of March and March were sitting and observing on the side of the road, opposite the Home Affairs offices.
What began as targeted protests outside the Department of Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre has erupted into civic disruption, forcing many storefronts to shutter prematurely amidst rising tensions.
The crisis deepened following the recent Constitutional Court ruling that mandated South Africa's asylum system reopen to new applicants.
In response, thousands of foreign nationals queued along Che Guevara Road to have their documentation processed.
Mike Rockey of Battery Centre on Che Guevara Road, said their business had been badly affected by the ongoing demonstrations by March and March members.
"Look outside, there are no vehicles of the customer. Customers are afraid to come because of these demonstrations. These demonstrations are crippling our business," he said.
Rockey said it had been hard to pay the staff since their business is losing money due to the anti-illegal immigration protests. He called for urgent solutions from relevant stakeholders.
Owner of Moore Road Cosmetics, Mohammed Shah, said the protests had been going for the whole four months and it was bad for businesses 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," he said.
Shah said every day this standoff continues is a day of lost revenue they cannot recover.
Zandile Mthethwa, a March and March activist sitting opposite the home affairs offices on Che Guevara Road, said they were sitting there to observe if the illegal immigrants were being assisted from the home affairs 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 March and March member, Sihle Mbhele, claimed the home affairs system was being exploited.
"We cannot sit down and look for our system being exploited. We are to protect our country from illegal foreigners. We are not going anywhere until they (illegal foreigners) are all gone,” he said.
Durban Metro Police spokesperson, Colonel Boysie Zungu said the police officers were on Che Guevara Road due to ongoing protests related 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," said Zungu.