A Limpopo businessman has closed his KwaZulu-Natal textile company after being repeatedly targeted and threatened, despite being a South African citizen from Venda. Steven Mabugana, 40, shared his story on Facebook on 3 June 2026, revealing that Operation Dudula and anti-immigration groups drove him out of Hammarsdale, KZN. Mabugana says he was treated like a foreigner in his own country.
His business employed more than 350 people, and he trained over 2,000 young South Africans in the textile industry completely free of charge. The 40-year-old says the threats he received were serious enough to make staying impossible. He described multiple incidents linked to anti-immigration movements that targeted him despite his South African identity. His Facebook video captured the pain of a man who invested deeply in a province that ultimately rejected him. Those who know Mabugana say his commitment to youth development was real and consistent. Training 2,000 young people for free is not a small contribution to any community. Now those opportunities have disappeared along with the jobs his business created.
South Africans online have responded with frustration and sadness. Many said the story shows how short-sighted the targeting of internal migrants has become. One commenter said those behind the threats do not understand the damage they are doing to the country’s future. Others pointed out that chasing away job creators hurts communities more than it helps them. Some described the movements as driven by outside forces aimed at weakening South Africa’s economic and political standing across the continent. The broader picture is difficult to ignore, with hundreds of families now facing uncertainty. South Africa cannot afford to lose employers who invest in youth at this scale.