"I'm On Her Side": Congolese Woman Destroys Her Salon Rather Than Hand It Over to a New SA Owner

• A Congolese woman with legal status to work in South Africa was forced out of her salon to make way for a South African owner amid anti-immigrant unrest
• Rather than leave quietly, the woman began destroying her mirrors and fittings in front of a crowd gathered at the salon entrance
• The video sparked strong reactions, with many viewers siding with the woman and questioning why the new owner could not simply build her own business

A Congolese salon owner in South Africa chose to destroy everything she had built rather than hand it over without a fight. The footage, shared by @ajplus on TikTok on 23 July 2026, showed the woman pulling mirrors off the walls and letting them shatter on the floor as a crowd stood watching from the salon entrance.

The woman had legal status to work in South Africa. Despite that, she was pressured to vacate her business to make way for a South African owner to take over. Rather than walk away and leave behind what she had worked to build, she chose to leave nothing worth taking.

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The incident took place against the backdrop of a broader wave of anti-immigration unrest sweeping South Africa. Citizen-led groups, including Operation Dudula and March and March, had issued an unofficial deadline of 30 June 2026, demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country. The pressure and intimidation that followed affected not only undocumented migrants but also foreigners who were in the country legally.

Over 53,000 foreign nationals were processed for repatriation during this period. Neighbouring countries including Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and Ghana stepped in to help their citizens return home safely.

President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the violence, stating that citizens must not take the law into their own hands. He also made clear that the June 30 ultimatum had no legal standing, as only the state holds the power to enforce immigration policy. Authorities escalated border security and police operations, including Operation Shanela, in response to the situation.

TikTok viewers back the Congolese woman

The video on the TikTok page drew an outpouring of support for the salon owner across the comment section:

@somg🫧 wrote:

"Nah I'm on her side 😭 you can't build off of another woman's sweat and tears. You must build from the ground up the way she did."

@Krystie🥂🦋 said:

"The fact that she even speaks the language means she's probably old enough to be a citizen."

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@reddy4sa🙌🏾🇿🇦✊🏾 added:

"Nothing for free here. If they want a salon, they can build it the way she did."

@Tate🌸 asked:

"What stopped the South African from starting her own salon?"

@𝓝. shared:

"I'm South African, but I'm totally on her side!"

Watch the video that sparked the debate below:

More on foreign nationals in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on KwaZulu-Natal garment factories struggling to fill vacancies after a significant portion of their workforce left the country.
• A tense confrontation between locals and foreign shop owners was caught on camera, adding to already high tensions in the country.
• Meanwhile, government officials revealed the total number of undocumented foreigners arrested in South Africa since the start of the year.

Source: Briefly News