Somali-owned spaza shops in Browns Farm have been closed since Wednesday after a shooting incident. Photos: Sandiso Phaliso
Spaza shops in Browns Farm, Philippi, have been closed since Wednesday after gangs demanded protection money.
Three Somali shopkeepers were shot on Wednesday, one of them fatally, and a spaza shop was set alight in the early hours on Friday.
A Somali shopkeeper, who gave his name as Abdul, said the decision to close his shop was made after the shooting on Wednesday.
“We used to pay one group every month, but now we are forced to pay two different groups every week,” said Abdul. “These people take all our profits. We are working for them. If these people keep coming, we may never open again.”
Small businesses owned by South Africans, like hair salons, vegetable stalls and meat sellers, are also being targeted. Some have shut down permanently because they cannot afford to pay protection fees.
“If you don’t have money, your life is in danger,” said a vegetable stall owner. “I stopped selling because I was working just to pay them. Now my children are suffering because I was the only breadwinner.”
A Browns Farm resident, who asked not to be named, said she struggled to buy food and other essentials since the shops closed. “We depend on these shops because they are cheaper and close to where we live. If this continues, we are going to suffer,” she said.
Most victims do not report the extortion to police because they fear retaliation from gangs. Some immigrant shop owners also worry about being deported because they do not have documents.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk confirmed that Nyanga police are investigating a case of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
He said a 40-year-old man was shot and killed, and two others were injured after five unidentified men entered a shop and started shooting. The motive for the attack is still being investigated, but extortion has not been ruled out. The suspects fled and have not yet been arrested.
A spaza shop was set alight on Friday morning.
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