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A beauty salon in Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal, became the scene of a dramatic confrontation after a Congolese businesswoman allegedly destroyed thousands of rands’ worth of her own equipment when she was ordered to vacate the premises.
The incident, captured in a viral video shared by Inakho Production, shows the woman pulling down posters, dragging salon furniture across the floor, ripping mirrors from the walls and smashing them onto the ground as a crowd watched from outside.
According to the salon owner, the confrontation stemmed from demands that she close her business because she is a foreign national.
She alleged that members of a local business group had previously warned her that foreign nationals would no longer be allowed to own salons in the area and that South African entrepreneurs would be taking over the businesses.
“They said no foreigner is allowed to own a salon and that they would come with South African entrepreneurs. I did not take them seriously,” she said.
The woman said what upset her most was being accused of being an undocumented Mozambican national.
“What made me upset was that they said I am an illegal immigrant from Mozambique. I am Congolese and in South Africa legally,” she said.
She explained that the confrontation came only days after she had paid R12,000 in rent for the salon, leaving her worried about losing the money she had invested.
According to the businesswoman, she had spent more than R120,000 on salon equipment and asked one of the women involved in the discussions to consider what she would do if she were in the same situation.
“I asked one of the women to look at my business and asked her whether, if she were in my position, she would be able to leave the salon to someone else for free. I told her I had spent more than R120,000 on the equipment,” she said.
She claimed she was asked how much she wanted to hand over the business. Following negotiations, she agreed to reduce her asking price to R50,000 before another man allegedly rejected the amount and offered her only R10,000.
“She talked me down to R50,000 and I agreed, but then a man said R50,000 was far too much and that R10,000 would work. I asked how such little money could possibly help me,” she said.
The woman also alleged that her handbag was wrestled away from her during the confrontation.
As tensions escalated, the situation turned chaotic. In the viral footage, a man can be heard telling her: “We’re not here to play games. Take your possessions and give us the keys to the building.”
Rather than surrender the salon, the visibly distressed owner began destroying her own equipment.
“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 is heard saying in the video.
A representative of the local business group later defended the attempted takeover, saying the intention was to have the salon operated by a South African so local workers and clients would not be affected.
“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.
The representative claimed the businesswoman initially demanded R100,000 for the salon. He said the group inspected the contents of the business and estimated the equipment was worth about R10,000, which the prospective owner offered to pay.
He alleged that it was after receiving the R10,000 offer that the woman began destroying the salon and its contents.
The group further claimed that anyone interested in operating the salon would need to invest heavily in the business, including spending more than R11,000 on renovations, paying R12,000 in monthly rent and investing around R101,000 in new salon equipment. They maintained that the premises remain available to anyone willing to make the required investment.
The incident has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many questioning the treatment of foreign-owned businesses in South Africa, while others argued over the valuation of the salon and the manner in which the dispute was handled.
