Activist Phakel'umthakathi Declares Foreign Nationals Must Leave Spaza Shops and Salons by 31 July

• Anti-illegal immigration activist Nkosikhona Ndabandaba set a 31 July 2026 deadline for foreign nationals to exit small businesses in South Africa
• The call came after a march joined by over 100 delivery scooter drivers demanding that South Africans be prioritised in the job market
• The announcement sparked fierce debate online after a Mozambican salon owner was confronted and destroyed her own shop rather than hand it over

SOUTH AFRICA - Anti-illegal immigration activist Nkosikhona "Phakelumthakathi" Ndabandaba has issued a firm deadline, declaring that from 31 July 2026, foreign nationals will no longer be permitted to run tuck shops, salons, barbershops, or spaza shops in South Africa.

He shared the announcement on X on 17 July 2026, and it quickly gained traction amid a charged week of street action.

The post followed a march the day before in which Ndabandaba and his movement were joined by more than 100 delivery scooter drivers. The group used the protest to call for South Africans to be given priority when it comes to employment and business opportunities.

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Jobs for South Africans

Also on the day of the march, Ndabandaba posted a job vacancy notice on X, framing it as a demonstration of what the movement could achieve at scale. He suggested that if the momentum continued, the campaign had the potential to unlock one million jobs for South African citizens.

See his X post here:

Mozambican salon owner destroys business in protest of eviction

The timing of his 31 July declaration drew immediate attention, in part because of a separate but related incident that went viral on the same day. A group of South Africans confronted a Mozambican salon owner and demanded she sell her business for R500 and hand it over to a South African.

Rather than comply, the salon owner destroyed her own equipment and property on the spot. The video of her response spread rapidly online and ignited strong reactions from South Africans on both sides of the debate, with some condemning the intimidation and others expressing support for the broader campaign behind it.

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The incident and the activist's post together reignited South Africa's deeply contested conversation around foreign-owned small businesses, economic exclusion, and where the line falls between advocacy and intimidation.

Mashaba critcises the Mozambican salon owner

Briefly News reported that Action SA president Herman Mashaba called out the Mozambican salon owner who destroyed her own business after a group demanded she vacate so a South African could take over.Mashaba, a vocal supporter of clamping down on undocumented foreign nationals, did not hold back in his response. He called the woman's actions 'irresponsible', advising her to 'just pack your stuff and go.'

Source: Briefly News