KwaZulu-Natal police will be closely monitoring some of Durban’s northern townships after a local business association issued an ultimatum to foreign shop owners to pack up and leave by Thursday.
The Northern Region Business Association which operates in Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu accuses foreign nationals of unfair business practices and suffocating township economies.
This has sparked panic among foreigners who fear this could lead to xenophobic violence similar to that experienced in 2015.
KZN Premier Willies Mchunu, who met with the disgruntled association and the province’s Somali Community Council on Tuesday says government has stepped in.
He says: “Government is intervening and we want by the 24th of this month to know that this matter is now settled once and for all.”
“Police will use what is in their disposal to prevent anything from happening, but if it does happen then they will have to react,” adds Mchunu.
