“We’ve Never Owned Any Part of the Economy”: Man Raises Concerns About Current Situation in Durban

• A Durban man drove through the city's streets, showing how empty and quiet things had become following protests against illegal foreign-owned businesses
• He raised the bigger question of how much of Durban's economy has historically been driven by foreign-owned businesses rather than South African-owned ones
• South Africans were divided, with some feeling seen by his words and others saying the empty streets are actually an opportunity worth grabbing

Empty streets, shuttered shops and closed stalls. That's what @sandiso.khuzwayo.169 drove past on 28 May 2026 in Durban.

He shared a video on Facebook showing the results of protests against illegal foreign nationals sweeping through major cities, with groups pushing for undocumented migrants to leave the country by 30 June 2026.

Driving through areas that would be busy with tuck shops and street traders, Sandiso pointed out just how quiet everything had become in the area. But his main concern wasn't the protests. It was what the empty streets were revealing about who actually owns the economy in Durban.

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The question nobody wants to answer

Sandiso said South Africans need to be honest with themselves. In his view, Durban's economy has largely been driven by foreign-owned businesses rather than South African-owned ones. He wasn't calling for violence or targeting anyone. He was pointing out a pattern he said has been hiding in plain sight.

He linked it to history. During apartheid, black South Africans were shut out of economic participation. That exclusion disrupted generations of business building, and when the doors eventually opened, many of those spaces had already been filled by others.

The numbers back up some of what he noticed. SARS has previously recorded just over 14,000 registered foreign-owned businesses, though informal enterprises are largely untracked.

Durban streets tell a bigger story

Sandiso's message wasn't one of anger. He ended by saying South Africans should use this moment to think about how to enter the economy and take up space in it. With a national unemployment rate sitting at 32%, the conversation around economic ownership is one many feel is long overdue.

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Watch the Facebook clip below:

SA debates the Durban concerns

People watching the video had a lot to say about Facebook user @sandiso.khuzwayo.169's clip:

@Mthokozisi Mgobhozi said:

"We've always been consumers, both pre and post-apartheid."

@Ndabezitha Ndodana KaBhele wrote:

"The sad truth that nobody wanna talk about..."

@Linathi Guqaza urged:

"Make it shareable, my brother. Let's spread the knowledge and remind the upcoming generation."

@Thembeka Mamawesizwe questioned:

"So we are foreigners in our own country, and there is nothing we are doing about it?"

@Langa Sithole said:

"This is actually a great thing to happen. Now, we as South Africans can open shops in town."

@Sjabu Khumalo added:

"You see failure, mina I see opportunity. Let's get up and try."

More on SA anti-immigration tensions

• Briefly News recently reported on around 700 school learners in Kraaifontein who took to the streets in an anti-immigration protest.
• A Zimbabwean woman who grew up in South Africa posted a video sharing how she feels about the anti-foreigner movement.
• A Limpopo mother is begging for help after her 19-year-old son was stabbed during xenophobic unrest in Mossel Bay.

Source: Briefly News