“I’m Disgusted”: Cape Town Business Owner Vents About Losing His Star Zimbabwean Employee

• A Cape Town coffee shop owner shared an emotional video after dropping off his star employee and his family to safety amid rising illegal immigration tensions
• The employee, who is from Zimbabwe, was the business's first hire and helped grow the company to the point where it now employs eight South Africans
• The business owner pointed out that the employee holds a full working visa and has children in school, yet still faced threats and pressure to leave the country

A Cape Town business owner could not hide his frustration after having to drop off his star employee and his family to safety amid the ongoing tension around the 30 June deadline.

Sebastian Daniels, owner of Ground Culture coffee shop in Observatory, shared a video on 29 June 2026 with the caption:

"I really don't understand how we can sit around and let this... happen. I hope everyone is lending a hand where they can."

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"They are such hard workers": Cape Town woman's praise for Zimbabwean workers draws backlash

In the clip, he explained he had just come from getting one of his Zimbabwean employees and his family to a safer location.

He said this employee was his very first hire and the one who helped build the company's food truck division, eventually allowing him to employ eight more South Africans.

He stressed that the employee has a full working visa and his children are enrolled in school, yet he was still being threatened and told to leave the country.

A country in a difficult moment

The video comes as South Africa works through the fallout of the 30 June deadline set by the March and March movement, calling for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.

The challenge many businesses and families have raised is that vigilante groups and mob action often do not differentiate between documented and undocumented foreign nationals.

This unfortunately leaves legally employed and properly visaed individuals caught up in the same fear and intimidation.

Reports have shown some employers let go of documented foreign workers out of fear of fines or retaliation, even when those workers are operating within the law.

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"No other home": March and March takes over CPT as leader delivers powerful message ahead of 30 June

The economic issue adds another layer to the tension. With South Africa's unemployment rate sitting above 32%, frustration over jobs and resources has fuelled strong feelings on all sides of the immigration march.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

Mzansi debates the business owner's frustration

People shared a range of views on the clip on the man's Facebook page:

@NgcondeMlawu questioned:

"Is it a scarce skill if I may ask?"

@JasonBryden said:

"If he is legally here and his family are all legally here, there should not be a problem."

@SisandaGxagxa questioned:

"Where is xenophobia?"

@BonganiMahaye wrote:

"It's essential to follow the law and respect each other's differences."

@MaxSebiso said:

"You won't understand because you are benefiting. Had you been affected negatively, you would understand."

@MarykeErasmus wrote:

"My bestie left SA two years ago. Her stuff is still here. She was documented until her husband married a 19-year-old Zulu woman."

More on the 30 June protests

• Briefly News recently reported on tensions escalating during anti-illegal immigration protests in Germiston, with police forced to step in.
• A Johannesburg filmmaker confronted Cape Town marchers outside parliament and the views he shared had South Africans completely split.
• LACO Western Cape's chairperson told a crowd in Cape Town that 30 June is only the beginning, and what she said next has people bracing.

Source: Briefly News