WATCH: Black Friday update: traffic, overspending at malls, and unhappy shoppers
Metro police say there is major traffic build up en route to all major malls in and around Durban - with traffic at a major standstill towards the Galleria Mall in Amanzimtoti, the Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Umhlanga, and the Pavilion Mall in Westville.
Metro spokesperson, Sbonelo Mchunu, says officers are out in full force today, to make sure traffic moves smoothly to and from all Black Friday retailers.
"Ordinarily, we put extra members every Friday, and we increased those numbers today on the anticipation of that shopping specials that are expected. So that's what we are monitoring. It's happening not only at Gateway - towards Galleria and the Pavilion - there's traffic build-up on those roads," he said.
Meanwhile, an economist warns that South Africans cannot afford to overspend on Black Friday.
Dawie Roodt's warning comes as thousands flock to various malls all over the province - in the hopes of getting a good deal. Roodt says to have a successful Black Friday, shoppers need to stick to their budget.
"It may eventually lead to you getting into deep financial troubles. And the result of this may be that for the next year you will be paying-off on something that you didn't need. So it's extremely important for everybody before you go into a store - to find out what your budget is, and stay within your budget," he said.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO FIND OUT HOW BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING KICKED-OFF AT GATEWAY MALL: