"The Real-Time": Somali Shop Owners in Thokoza Given 67 Minutes on Mandela Day to Close and Leave

• Somali shop owners in Thokoza were given 67 minutes to pack up and vacate their premises on Nelson Mandela Day
• A video of the incident went viral on X, showing a van loaded with shop stock while police officers stood nearby
• The eviction timeframe deliberately mirrored the 67-minute community service tradition observed annually on 18 July

GAUTENG - Somali shop owners in Thokoza were ordered to shut down their businesses and leave the area within 67 minutes on Nelson Mandela Day, 18 July 2026, in a scene that has since gone viral on social media.

A video posted on X by @AdvoBarryRoux captured what appeared to be the aftermath of the ultimatum. The clip shows a van parked outside a building in a residential street, its back loaded with shop merchandise. A group of people stood around the vehicle as police officers and police vehicles remained visible in the vicinity.

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67 minutes with a different meaning

The 67-minute timeframe is widely recognised in South Africa as a tribute to Nelson Mandela, representing the 67 years he dedicated to the fight for social justice and human rights. Every year on 18 July, his birthday, South Africans and people around the world are encouraged to spend 67 minutes in community service. In this instance, however, the symbolism was repurposed to set a deadline for foreign nationals to vacate.

The incident unfolded against the backdrop of a broader national movement in South Africa, where residents and protest groups have been marching against undocumented foreign nationals operating businesses and residing in communities without legal status.

Mzansi debates the eviction

The footage drew significant engagement on the X page, with users offering divided responses.

@Waltz42747233 wrote:

"What a perfect 67 minutes 😩"

@mjebula said:

"That's the real-time 67 minutes of contribution to the struggle."

@kede41 offered a different perspective:

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"The truth is, Somalians/Ethiopians/Pakistanis operated spaza shops in the townships because ours had collapsed. BIG retailers (Score, Shoprite, etc) had penetrated our townships, and we couldn't compete with their prices. These guys came and competed."

@David_Otim proposed an alternative approach:

"I propose a 15-year plan; document every business entity operated by the 'foreigners' workout the win-win strategy for citizens with business interests to progressively work, learn the skills, attitudes and hopefully buy off the entity…"

See the X clip below:

More on immigration tensions in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on fans learning veteran producer Oskido isn't Zimbabwean after all, reigniting debate around foreign nationals in SA.
• A former Miss South Africa finalist faces deportation again after her own arrest over immigration status.
• A group of South African tourists found themselves in a tense confrontation abroad, with many linking it to tensions over illegal immigration back home.

Source: Briefly News