Residents protest against foreign shop owners
Community leader Tshepo Mowelase said they have tried reasoning with the foreign tuckshop owners to refrain from opening their shops at every second corner.
Kwa-Thema – Residents have taken a stand over wanting foreign-owned tuckshops out of their community.
They alleged the shops sell expired food, and the mushrooming of these shops throughout the community suffocates local businesses.
A war of stones and gunshots erupted, with residents demanding that all the shops open for business be closed until they reach an agreement.
Community leader Tshepo Mowelase said over the months, they have tried to reason with the foreign tuckshop owners to refrain from opening their shops at every second corner.
“They are continuing with their business. Some residents offer them space in their yards to erect their spaza shops.
“They are suffocating local businesses. All the local tuckshops are now closed because they cannot afford to compete with their prices,” said Mowelase.
He added on Thursday, the shop owners allegedly opened fire on them during a protest. A war of rocks erupted in White City between the two parties on Saturday.
Since the incident, the shop owners have been patrolling their shops at night. Most of the shops were not operating on Sunday,
A list of the grievances from residents includes the shop owners not fighting service delivery; selling expired food to children with some items’ expiry dates wiped off; they are not contributing to anything good in community projects; and they are not sponsoring schools or teams.
Kwa-Thema police spokesperson Constable Nkululeko Magudulela confirmed no one has been arrested.
“Police are patrolling the affected areas; we are encouraging residents to exercise tolerance and not take the law into their own hands. If there is any criminal activity, report it to the police,” he added.
