“This Is Sad”: Venda Businessman Mistreated as Foreigner Forced to Closes KZN Company Employing 350
- Steven Mabugana, 40, shut down his Hammarsdale textile business after Operation Dudula threats forced him out of KwaZulu-Natal
- His company employed over 350 people and trained more than 2,000 young South Africans for free
- South Africans online are asking whether the country is driving away the very people who build it
Source: Facebook
A Limpopo businessman has closed his KwaZulu-Natal textile company after being repeatedly targeted and threatened, despite being a South African citizen from Venda. Steven Mabugana, 40, shared his story on Facebook on 3 June 2026, revealing that Operation Dudula and anti-immigration groups drove him out of Hammarsdale, KZN.
Mabugana says he was treated like a foreigner in his own country. His business employed more than 350 people, and he trained over 2,000 young South Africans in the textile industry completely free of charge.
A businessman who gave back, treated like an outsider
The 40-year-old says the threats he received were serious enough to make staying impossible. He described multiple incidents linked to anti-immigration movements that targeted him despite his South African identity. His Facebook video captured the pain of a man who invested deeply in a province that ultimately rejected him.
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Those who know Mabugana say his commitment to youth development was real and consistent. Training 2,000 young people for free is not a small contribution to any community. Now those opportunities have disappeared along with the jobs his business created.
South Africans online have responded with frustration and sadness. Many said the story shows how short-sighted the targeting of internal migrants has become. One commenter said those behind the threats do not understand the damage they are doing to the country’s future.
Others pointed out that chasing away job creators hurts communities more than it helps them. Some described the movements as driven by outside forces aimed at weakening South Africa’s economic and political standing across the continent.
The broader picture is difficult to ignore, with hundreds of families now facing uncertainty. South Africa cannot afford to lose employers who invest in youth at this scale.
Listen to his story below:
More about anti-illegal immigrant protests
- A South African truck driver was harassed and forced into immediate resignation after being falsely accused of being a foreign national Read more: https://briefly.co.za/people/245064-sa-trucker-mistaken-foreigner-forced-resign/
- The March & March movement has continued to grow in South Africa, approaching the deadline that the organisation imposed to have undocumented individuals out of South Africa by 30 June 2026.
- Organisers of Nationwide protests are anticipating a massive turnout on 30 June 2026 and have issued a warning to the public.
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Source: Briefly News
