Businesses in Diepsloot bore the brunt of the community’s anti-illegal immigration protest on June 30, as usually bustling streets fell silent, with many shop owners choosing to shut their doors amid fears of possible unrest.

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The normally busy route on Ingonyama Drive in Diepsloot is usually lined with spaza shops, informal traders, and small businesses. However, it resembled the quiet days of the Covid-19 lockdown today, with few customers in sight as residents took to the streets against illegal immigrants.

For one spaza shop owner, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, closing for the day was a precaution she felt she could not afford to ignore. Rather than risk losing stock or having her small business damaged, she said she decided to sacrifice a day’s income because of the uncertainty surrounding the protest.

She said memories of the 2008 alleged xenophobic violence and the widespread unrest and looting that affected parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in 2021 influenced her decision. “I would rather lose one day’s business than lose everything,” she said, adding that she hoped the demonstration would remain peaceful.

While many business owners feared violence, community leader Moruti Mokwena repeatedly urged protesters throughout the day not to loot shops or intimidate people during the demonstration.

Also read: Residents protest over electricity issues in Diepsloot

Mokwena said the march was intended to highlight frustrations over illegal immigration, unemployment, crime, substances like drugs, and for government to take action, and should remain within the confines of the law. “We are tired of illegal immigrants. They are taking our jobs. As you can see, it is young people who are protesting here today and many of them are unemployed.”

Mokwena also accused the government of failing communities by not adequately addressing illegal immigration and its impact on residents. He stressed the fact that protesters should not take the law into their own hands. “We are not going to loot any shops. We are going to do things by the law. If somebody does something wrong, the police are here and they will do their job. Please do not loot.”

Some protesters had initially expressed a desire to enter homes occupied by people they suspected were undocumented. However, following engagements between protest organisers and police, the demonstration proceeded under police monitoring, with organisers continuing to encourage residents to remain peaceful as they marched.

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