Four business robberies have occurred in the Durban Central Business District over several days, leaving some business owners to trade in fear.
Business owners interviewed did not want to create an atmosphere of fear that would drive customers away, but the robberies remain a concern to them.
Durban Central police have opened a case of business robbery after an incident that occurred on Sunday, on Bertha Mkhize Street, formerly known as Victoria Street.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said it was reported that three armed suspects stormed a business premises, robbed the shop owner and his brother of cellphones and cash before fleeing the scene.
The clothing store owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was still trying to figure out what had happened.
The shop is accessed by steps leading to the first floor. He said the shop was full of customers and it was difficult to tell who the criminals were. He had opened the business three months ago and his marginal profits were gone. He said he would have to start over.
“Three men came behind the counter. One of them showed me his gun. We sat down on the floor while they emptied the cash tills and took our phones. We were too scared to look up and just sat on the floor for a while until someone alerted us that they were gone. It happened so quickly. We are trading in fear,” he said.
Private security company Urban Defence reported that six suspects were inside the store.
“They said two entered the premises posing as customers, while the remaining four moved behind the counter and ransacked the area,” Urban Defence stated.
Monty Naicker Street
Last week, an armed robbery occurred on Monty Naicker Street, formerly known as Pine Street. Four men entered a fabric store and held up the staff. According to the shop manager who wished to remain anonymous, one of the men showed them a gun and then took his phone.
The robbers took an undisclosed amount of cash from the till and walked out of the store. The store manager reported that the robbery occurred in under three minutes.
The Urban Defence Response reported that the robbers fled on foot through the passage into Dr AB Xuma Street, formerly known as Commercial Road.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Durban Central SAPS are investigating a business robbery following an incident on Monty Naicker Street where a 37-year-old man was allegedly accosted by four suspects who demanded cash and took gadgets before fleeing the scene.
According to private security companies two other incidents occurred on Denis Hurley Street and the other on Dr Pixley KaSeme Street, formerly West Street last week. Details of what occurred at these robberies were not forthcoming.
According to the crime statistics, 2,733 business robberies occurred between April 2026 and June 2026 in the country. KwaZulu-Natal reported 471, Gauteng 920, Free State 141, Eastern Cape 270, and Western Cape 176 incidents. The Durban Central area reported 16 incidents, while Johannesburg Central reported 27 incidents in three months.
