Mozambican salon owner allegedly destroys her business after South Africans demand she vacate.
Image: SCREENSHOT
A beauty salon in eMthonjaneni became the scene of a dramatic confrontation after a Mozambican business owner allegedly destroyed her own equipment when she was told to vacate the premises, claiming she would rather leave with nothing than hand the business over.
A video shared by Inakho Production shows the woman pulling down posters, dragging salon equipment across the floor and ripping mirrors from the walls before smashing them onto the ground.
A crowd gathered outside the salon as the incident unfolded. The confrontation allegedly followed demands by a South African business group for the woman to leave the salon to make way for another operator.
A man can be heard telling the woman: "We're not here to play games. Take your possessions and give us the keys to the building."
As the destruction continued, the woman responded defiantly. "I would rather you have nothing at all after I destroy everything. If you want to kill me, come with a gun and shoot me," she said.
Speaking to Inakho Production, a representative of the business group claimed the decision to remove the woman was motivated by a desire to have the salon operated by a South African in the KwaZulu-Natal town.
"We asked her to leave because there is a South African who wishes to run the salon so that the clients and workers are not affected, those who are from here. She was called to negotiate with the new owner about how much she was willing to hand it over for," he said.
According to the representative, the woman allegedly demanded R100,000 before she would relinquish the salon.
He claimed the group then inspected the salon's contents to determine whether the equipment justified that amount.
According to him, the equipment was worth approximately R10,000, and the prospective South African owner offered to pay that amount.
He alleged that it was at that point that the woman began destroying the salon and its contents.
IOL