<\/p>\n
Dozens of immigrant traders who usually traded at the Golden Arrow terminus in Bellville are staying away because of anti-immigrant protests.<\/p>\n
When we visited the once bustling site last week, it was quiet with only a handful of traders. Many stalls were deserted.<\/p>\n
Some traders we spoke to said they had tried to set up shop in other areas but were stopped. They have not traded at the bus site since the March and March 30 June \u201cdeadline\u201d demanding \u201cillegal immigrants\u201d leave South Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to pay rent, put food on the table, and pay the bills,\u201d a Zimbabwean man who asked to remain anonymous told GroundUp.<\/p>\n
He said he has been selling clothes in Bellville for about five years. He left Zimbabwe in 2008 when its economy collapsed.<\/p>\n
While he has not been directly threatened, he has witnessed others being harassed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will take your stuff and throw it on the ground,\u201d he said. \u201cIt hurts, but as much as it hurts, it\u2019s their country, and they\u2019re also marginalised people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Read:
Migrant exodus leaves gap SA may battle to close
Fleeing migrants leave hard-to-fill gap in South Africa\u2019s moribund economy
KZN clothing factory owners warn of collapse as immigrant workers leave<\/p>\n
March and March supporters protest against illegal immigration in Bellville on 23 May 2026.<\/p>\n
Another trader, who introduced herself as Meye, said she has had a permit to trade since 2010. She fled the DRC in 2003.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are legal; everything is correct. But they say we are foreigners and we need to go back to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
A single mother of three, she says she is now struggling to feed and school her children.<\/p>\n
Another single mother, Safia, says she has been unable to trade despite having refugee status and a trading permit. She came from Somalia in 2010. She said law enforcement needs to protect the traders better.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t sleep at night because of what is happening. I can\u2019t even pay my rent. I can\u2019t support my children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Read:
Blaming migrants ignores the real causes of SA\u2019s economic\u00a0crisis
Business braces for fallout from anti-immigration protests
SA braces for anti-immigrant shutdown on 30 June<\/p>\n
Abdulhakim Husein of the Somali Association of South Africa<\/p>\n
Abdulhakim Husein, Western Cape director of the Somalia Association of South Africa, told GroundUp that he had been assisting traders since the start of July.<\/p>\n
He said many asylum seekers and refugees are traders as they have to rely on being self-employed. They came from Somalia, DRC, Zimbabwe, Angola and Burundi.<\/p>\n
He said that at a meeting on 13 July (which the city confirmed), it was agreed that traders with valid permits should be allowed to trade. But on 14 July, they received a message warning them about a March and March protest in the area.<\/p>\n
Husein said they have approached a legal NGO for assistance.<\/p>\n
Central Bellville has a large informal trading community.<\/p>\n
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City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said foreign nationals whose immigration status has been verified by Home Affairs are permitted to trade with a valid permit. These cost R78 per month.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a concern whenever permitted traders, whether South African citizens or foreign nationals lawfully permitted to trade, are prevented from engaging in legal economic activity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said intimidation and threats should be reported to SAPS.<\/p>\n
Read:
Informal sector targeted in crackdown on illegal immigration
Permit chaos leaves Joburg\u2019s informal traders in limbo<\/p>\n
Farhiyo Mahmad has a South African ID, yet she was threatened and told she was not allowed to trade.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published here.<\/p>\n
#March #March #protests #leave #immigrant #traders #livelihoods #ruins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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