Shops have been shuttered in the Durban city centre. Photo by Kimon de Greef
30 March 2016
A taxi strike has turned violent in the Durban city centre, with police firing teargas and shops closing.
Ethiopian shop owners have taken shelter in a restaurant on Dr Pixley KaSeme Street (formerly West Stret), shutting the doors as protesters ran by.
Nigusse Bezuhua, 27, said that during protests people often looted shops and turned violent. He locked his own small clothing shop before taking shelter in the restaurant. “People target foreign businesses,” he said.
However, an Indian restaurant remained open as shops around it closed. “We’ve made all this food. We have to take a chance,” the owner said, insisting on remaining anonymous from fear of being targeted.
Some women could be seen sheltering in hair salons.
Kenny, a fashion designer from Nigeria, locked his shop when the protest approached. He heard running and shouting outside. “When I opened, I saw people who had been teargassed,” he said.
It’s not clear yet what the drivers’ demands are, but people outside shops are speculating that it is to do with taxis being impounded.
“Taxi drivers aren’t a problem. It’s the skokiaan boys who use the opportunity to rob and cause trouble,” said another shop owner.
A protester injured himself jumping over a barrier, landing in a cemetery. Police and paramedics are on the scene.
