The economic impact of Tuesday’s planned March & March protest against undocumented foreign nationals is already being felt, with landlords losing rental income, businesses fearing for their livelihoods and tourism operators reporting mass booking cancellations.
Ahead of the protest, organised by the March & March movement, Sowetan visited Alexandra, Tembisa and Soweto to assess how anticipation surrounding the demonstration was affecting businesses and residents.
In Alexandra, landlord Oupa Mamaila said he evicted a long-term tenant about three weeks ago because he feared being associated with housing undocumented foreign nationals.
“Tourists prioritise safety, and these images spread quickly across the world.” — Soweto tour operator
“I had to ask my tenant to leave because of the fears around keeping undocumented foreign nationals,” he said. “Now I’m specifically looking for a South African tenant. If I do rent to a foreign national again, they must have proper documentation. I don’t want history repeating itself.”
Mamaila said the decision has cost him R1,500 in lost rental income for June and could extend into July if he fails to secure another tenant.
“I used to charge the foreign national R1,500, and now with South Africans I have to lower the prices. I’ll charge them at least R1,200 because they know their rights.”
Another Alexandra business owner, a South African mechanic, said his biggest concern was for the safety of customers’ vehicles left in his care.
He fears that if violence or looting erupt, he has no secure place to move the vehicles to and they could be damaged or stolen.
“My concern is how I’m going to protect the cars that belong to my customers,” he said.
In Tembisa, landlord Victor Mayo said he recently evicted a Ghanaian tenant who operated a nail salon because she did not have legal documentation to be in SA.
He said the decision was motivated by concerns for his own safety and reputation.
“I don’t want to be seen as someone who is housing undocumented foreigners,” he said.
Mayo added that another tenant, a Mozambican national who runs a hair salon, has also indicated she may leave SA because her business has collapsed.
“She told me she doesn’t have money to pay June’s rent and might go back home because there’s nothing left for her in SA.”
Although Mayo has a long-term plan to convert the vacant premises into his own spice and snack shop, he admits financial constraints remain a challenge.
Bongani Mabuza, chair of the Kathorus Development Company, said the departure of foreign-owned businesses would leave behind established infrastructure and customer bases that locals could take over.
“Whoever takes over already has an established business structure in the area,” he said. “The clientele is already there. The bigger question is whether locals are ready to harness that opportunity.”
However, the impact of the planned marches has extended beyond landlords and township businesses.
Tourism operators in Soweto said international visitors have cancelled bookings over safety concerns, leaving businesses without income during what was expected to be a busy period.
A representative from Soweto Tourism said overseas tourists cancelled accommodation and tour bookings after hearing about the planned protest.
“The issue of March & March has affected us a lot. We had many overseas bookings but they all cancelled because they said they don’t feel it’s safe to come to Soweto.”
The representative said he had also decided not to operate his business on the day of the protest despite its organisers insisting it would be peaceful.
“We’ve heard promises before that protests would be peaceful, but things ended differently. We don’t want to take chances.”
A tour operator said about 80 tourists who had booked various activities from her business had cancelled.
“We were expecting around 80 visitors,” she said. “I am talking about groups of 10 people or families of five from the European countries. Right now we’re sitting on zero bookings.”
Even tours that went ahead over the weekend had to be rerouted to avoid areas where demonstrations were already taking place, including parts of Meadowlands and around the men’s hostel.
“We don’t want visitors to leave SA with the impression that this is what Soweto is always like,” she said. “Tourists prioritise safety, and these images spread quickly across the world.”
Meanwhile, the eThekwini municipality said there has been a big push to move undocumented Malawian nationals out of the Durban drive-in site as ongoing repatriation efforts continue.
This follows the co-ordinated relocation process to Musina, Limpopo, undertaken in collaboration with the department of home affairs and supporting non-profit organisations.
The municipality said so far about 7,000 people had been successfully transported to Limpopo, with 58 buses having departed on Sunday and 10 on Monday morning.
An additional 70 buses were scheduled to leave throughout the day as part of intensified efforts to conclude the operation.
Additional reporting by TimesLIVE.
Sowetan
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