Mozambican salon owner smashes equipment during eviction dispute in eMthonjaneni

A beauty salon in eMthonjaneni became the scene of a dramatic confrontation after a Mozambican business owner allegedly destroyed her own equipment when asked to vacate the premises.

Video shows owner wrecking salon amid demands to leave

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.

Dispute described as driven by replacement by a South African operator

The confrontation allegedly followed demands by a South African business group for the woman to vacate 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.”

Owner’s response

As the destruction continued, the woman is heard responding 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.”

Claims from the business group

Speaking to Inakho Production, a representative of the business group said the decision to remove the woman was motivated by a wish to have the salon operated by a South African in the KwaZulu-Natal town. He said:

“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.”

The representative told Inakho Production that the woman allegedly demanded R100,000 before she would relinquish the salon. He said the group inspected the salon’s contents and determined the equipment was worth approximately R10,000, and that the prospective South African owner offered to pay that amount. According to him, the woman then began destroying the salon and its contents.

Wider context in coverage

The incident was reported in a story published by IOL and has circulated on social media via the shared video. The coverage connects the episode to tensions over informal rentals and evictions.