Durban - Salon owners in uMlazi are living in fear of an unknown group of men which has allegedly been extorting money from them.
The salon owners said they have to pay R200 a week to the gang members, who are said to have told the police that they feared no-one and would not stop their activities.
A salon owner, who asked not to be named because he feared for his safety, said a group of about six men, travelling in a Toyota Etios, came to his salon last week and told him he had to pay money into a bank account they provided.
“They said to me that they were not begging me, but were telling me to deposit the money,” he said.
When police tried to intervene, the salon owner said the gang had told law enforcement officers, which included the station commander, that they were not afraid of them and nothing would stop them from getting their money.
The father of three said the R200 had made a huge dent in his budget, as he had to provide for his family and pay rent among other costs.
The refugee, who has been operating the salon for more than 10 years, said there were many salons in uMlazi’s V-Section, and the area around Mangosuthu University of Technology area, that had received similar warnings.
Another salon owner said three men came to his salon and asked who the owner of the business was. “I said I was the owner. They told me that taxis pay taxi fees, and salons also had to pay fees. They said I must pay fees or face the consequences of not paying.”
He said the majority of people affected by the demand were foreign nationals and that many paid the money due to fear of the consequences of not paying. This was despite police telling them not to pay the “fees”.
A South African salon owner said she decided not to pay the money. She said her staff were fearful of the gang.
The woman, who has been running her salon for 10 years, said they were asking for police to be stationed near the area where they were being intimidated. “All we are doing is trying to make a living,” she said.
Other salon owners said they received a piece of paper with pictures of guns and bullets on it, demanding money.
Daniel Dunia, from the African Solidarity Network, said these types of incidents were going to get worse, as car guards and other people who are trying to make a living are being targeted and believed that there was a concerted effort to kick migrants out of townships.
He said this made it difficult for foreigners to make a living in these conditions.
“We are sure it is going to be worse before elections,” he said. Dunia said he believed it was very likely that there were would be xenophobic attacks before next year's elections.
Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said a case of extortion had been opened last week. He said no arrests had been made yet.