Uneasy calm settles over Durban CBD

DURBAN'S city centre has returned to an uneasy calm as foreign businessmen in Bertha Mkhize (Victoria) Street and Dr AB Xuma (Commercial) Road are slowly returning to their barricaded stores which have been closed for more than a week since violence erupted in Durban's CBD.

Abdul Jeallo, who hails from Cameroon and has been working in South Africa for three years said his business depended on consumers coming to buy the goods his sell. “I had to close my business for one week after they came in looting and stole jackets and baby clothes,” he said, adding that although he has returned to work, he is hesitant to bring in more stock to his store. Jeallo said foreign businesses had been badly affected by the attacks which had also had dire consequences for employees. “Everyone is still fearful,” he said outside his store on Wednesday morning.

An Ethiopian man, who asked not to be named, told Berea Mail that many of the foreign stores used to open at or before 8am before the attacks, but since being forced to close for a week, the owners were only opening the stores for business around 9am or after, depending on the conditions on the day. He said the situation had been very bad for businesses as well as employees like himself who had not received an income since 9 April.

A South African businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had a successful family business in Dr AB Xuma Road for 25 years . He said their was an eerie quiet on the streets which normally hummed with activity before the violence erupted. In 25 years, our family business has never been so badly affected as it is now.” He said he had to say a painful goodbye to four of his skilled foreign workers and had assisted them to return to their own countries. “This has crippled the local economy. There were days in the past three weeks that we didn't make a cent. On Wednesday, we made R300, which doesn't help me pay my rent at the end of the month. Something needs to be done. Government must sort this problem out,” he said.

A 22-year-old man from the DRC told how he had escaped being stabbed by three attackers on Berea Road after they accosted him and asked him what the Zulu word for 'knee' was. “I didn't know so they tried to stab me but I ran fast and got away,” he said, adding that he had not ventured out his home for four days afterwards. He has asked Refugee Social Services to move him to another country. “I am not secure here any more,” he said.

Dr AB Xuma (Commercial) Road is unusually eerily quiet in the peak morning business hours.