DURBAN, KWAZULU-NATAL — Immigrant business owners in South Africa are vowing to rebuild their livelihoods and continue contributing to the local economy, despite facing severe damage from recent anti-migrant protests and looting.
In the wake of the unrest, the shelves of a convenience store in Durban sit empty, its doors broken and the physical damage still fresh. For Ethiopian shop owner Daniel Abide, years of hard work and investment disappeared almost overnight when anti-immigrant protests swept through parts of the city on Tuesday.
Despite the devastation, Abide remains steadfast in his defense of the economic value that foreign nationals bring to the country.
“Foreigners are not taking jobs from South Africans. We are coming from Africa,” Abide stated, pushing back against the narrative that migrant workers steal local employment. “We are creating small jobs. We are starting businesses here in South Africa. Why is it not working like us? You must work. We opened a shop here, we pay rent.”
Abide, who arrived in South Africa a decade ago, emphasized that his enterprises actively support local livelihoods. He noted that he employs South African citizens and pays his workers a salary while serving the surrounding community.
“I have a shop, and a South African is working with me. I am giving him a salary,” Abide explained. He urged locals to adopt a similar entrepreneurial work ethic rather than targeting foreign-owned shops. “If you want to open a shop, you must open a shop like us. Stop complaining about us. We work together.”
Even in the aftermath of the attack, Abide maintains a hopeful outlook, expressing a strong desire to rebuild his business rather than flee the country.
The recent violence highlights the complex socio-economic dynamics at play in the region. South Africa currently hosts more than 167,000 refugees and asylum seekers, while foreign migrants account for roughly 4% of the total population. However, with national unemployment remaining stubbornly above 30%, public frustration over a lack of jobs, rising crime, and strained public services frequently boils over, often targeting visible minority businesses.
Abide did not mince words regarding the broader systemic issues exacerbating the unrest, pointing to a breakdown in order that affects everyone.
“Too much is not fixed in this country. It is breaking down,” Abide observed, noting the wider economic ripple effects of the chaos. “I see many companies stopping work, and many people are stopping work because of the destruction. It means there is no rule of law in South Africa.”
As damaged shops slowly begin to reopen across the affected areas, business owners are left to count their severe financial losses while hoping that community tensions will soon ease. For many immigrant entrepreneurs like Abide, staying in South Africa remains their best chance to rebuild, even as a cloud of uncertainty continues to hang over their future prospects.
