Durban’s CBD is under pressure — and the cracks are beginning to show.
What started as a so-called “cleanup operation” has spiralled into days of rolling protests, shuttered shops and growing fear, with the city’s economic heart now caught in a tightening grip of tension and uncertainty.
Traders are watching the streets instead of their tills. Police vehicles line key routes. And every march brings the same question, what happens next?
At the centre of the storm is Bhinca (Zulu) Nation leader Ngizwe Mchunu, who this week Tuesday led hundreds of supporters through the CBD in a charged show of force.
Starting at Gugu Dlamini Park, the group moved through Victoria ( Bertha Mkhize) and Queen (Dennis Hurley) streets , chanting for foreign nationals to leave South Africa. Many carried traditional weapons, sending a clear message that, peaceful or not, the protests are far from ordinary.
Within minutes of the crowd entering trading zones, foreign-owned shops pulled down their shutters. Some traders stood their ground outside, refusing to be chased away.
“We will not be intimidated. This is our livelihood,” one trader said.
Mchunu has now raised the stakes, declaring the demonstrations will continue until the end of May, saying sustained pressure will force foreign nationals to leave.
In a move that has sparked outrage, he has also appealed to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli and Provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to allow his followers to operate at South Africa’s border gates. He insists his group can help stop illegal immigration, drugs and crime, a claim critics say dangerously blurs the line between protest and policing.
On the ground, frustration is not one-sided. Some South Africans have begun questioning the protests themselves, warning they risk doing more harm than good.
“These actions are unnecessary and could turn violent. This is not what the country needs,” said one resident.
Others warned of a looming economic fallout if foreign-owned businesses are forced out.“If they leave, who takes over? Shops will stand empty. That will drag the economy down,” another said.
Political pressure is also mounting. The Democratic Alliance has criticised the eThekwini Municipality for what it describes as a weak response to the ongoing unrest.
DA PR councillor Sharmaine Sewshanker said the protests, which began around mid-April, are already hurting the local economy. “Businesses are losing income, jobs are at risk, and investor confidence is taking a knock,” she said, urging authorities to restore order.
Civil society groups say the warning signs are dangerously familiar, pointing to the 2008 Xenophobic Attacks South Africa and 2015 Xenophobic Violence South Africa as stark reminders of how quickly tensions can explode. Organisations have issued urgent calls for calm, warning that continued escalation could have deadly consequences.
Law enforcement remains on high alert across the CBD. While large-scale violence has been avoided, earlier incidents including a reported injury have shown just how quickly the situation can shift.
For now, Durban waits. With protests set to continue until the end of May, the city’s streets have become a pressure point, where fear, defiance and economic survival collide, and where the next move could define what happens next.
Mchunu says their next campaign against undocumented immigrants will take place in Gauteng from 27 to 29 April.
