A Nigerian shop owner in South Africa has refused to bow to pressure from local protesters demanding the immediate shutdown of foreign-owned businesses, arguing that closure would devastate dozens of South African families who rely on his establishment for their income.
The confrontation, which was captured on video and widely circulated on social media, shows the businessman calmly engaging with a group of individuals who insisted that all foreign-run shops must be closed without delay.
Despite the hostile atmosphere, the shop owner stood his ground, requesting that he be allowed to await an official government directive before taking any action. The businessman, whose identity has not been disclosed, stressed that he has operated lawfully in the country for more than a decade.
He produced documentation proving his tax compliance over 13 years and pointed out that his business currently supports more than 30 South African employees.
What reason did the Nigerian man give?
The shopkeeper made it clear that his primary concern is the welfare of his staff. He noted that when Chinese nationals previously ran the same shop, they employed only one or two local workers. Since taking over, he has expanded the workforce to between 20 and 30 South Africans, transforming the outlet into a significant source of local employment.
In the footage, the businessman is heard telling protesters that he is not an illegal operator and has all the required permits. He said he would comply only if the South African government formally ordered him to leave, but he insisted that his workers should not suffer as a consequence.
He proposed a reasonable solution: finding a capable South African to take over the management of the shop so that jobs could be preserved. However, he revealed that his employees had expressed reluctance to take on the business due to prohibitively high rental costs.
Anti-immigrant sentiment intensifies with repatriation underway
The incident occurs against a backdrop of rising anti-immigrant activism in South Africa, with some groups setting deadlines for undocumented foreigners to vacate the country. Protesters in the video dismissed the businessman's documentation and his concerns about local employment, stating bluntly that they did not care about the consequences of his closure.
FG considers tough response to South Africa attacks
Earlier, reports indicated that the federal government has signalled that it may take strong diplomatic action against South Africa following a resurgence of xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians living in the country. Speaking after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday June 8, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Abuja was dissatisfied with what it views as an inadequate response by South African authorities to the attacks.
