Unruly mob loots and vandalises Tembisa shops
A number of people who spoke to this paper stressed that their fight was against foreign nationals
Police had their hands full on Monday morning as they battled an unruly mob who broke into business premises mostly belonging to foreign nationals and made off with groceries and other items valued at over R1-million.
Some of the local residents who spoke to this paper said they only targeted foreign-owned outlets, but surprisingly, locally owned businesses were not spared.
Such an act has left a local business owner in total shock, having lost everything after her business was also looted and destroyed.
This business has been servicing the Tembisa community since the 1970s and has provided employment opportunities to a number of local people.
“They have taken everything that was inside our outlet. People’s clothing and furnishings. What is even more painful is the fact that this business has been in operation and part of this community for many years. If this was a xenophobic attack then why were we included? Who in this community does not know that this small outlet is owned by a South African? During the dark days of apartheid this business was here creating job opportunities for local people and it is was never looted, not even when the township was on fire. It is sad to see the criminal element at play here. They destroyed everything,” she lamented.
The mob made away with clothes belonging to members of the community who have always supported this dry cleaning business, leaving her and her workers at a loss.
“What I am failing to understand is why they would steal from us if their intentions were to fight drugs and if they were against foreigners. This is totally senseless. I hope people get prosecuted, community members have lost their valuable clothing,” she went on.
Even though police have confirmed that a number of people have been arrested and charged with public violence, local business people say the damage caused will take years to fix.
“I have never experienced anything like this in my life. People are scary and sometimes we can behave like animals. We forget and disregard what contributes to our well-being. This is traumatising, it felt like a personal attack. Dry cleaning is my job and God knows I need my job,” lamented Thapelo Tshehloane, an employee, in a text sent to his employer.
What is the cause of the riots?
The recent killing of a Pretoria-based taxi driver, allegedly by a foreign national, is apparently being used as a reason for the riots, not only in Tembisa but across the province.
A number of people who spoke to this paper stressed that their fight was against foreign nationals, citing they sell drugs to their children.
“I am personally not going to be apologetic about this. I am participating in this because they (foreigners) are providing drugs and making our children sell and smoke it. We haven’t had this problem before they came. It is clear that our government and politicians are not prepared to solve this issue, so we are going to solve it ourselves,” said a resident, who asked to remain anonymous.
Threats and revenge
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Tembisans woke up to a threatening WhatsApp message allegedly crafted and engineered by foreign shop owners.
The message read: “A leak has revealed that foreign shop owners are planning to poison all South Africans through the products they sell in their shops. The poison is aimed at revenging themselves following the xenophobic attacks throughout the country against them. The poison will be untraceable and is meant to be a slow killer.
“Warn your family members, children, neighbours, friends and colleagues to no longer buy any products owned by foreign nationals.
“Buy only from well-known reliable stores/franchises.”
At this stage the source of the message is still unknown.
Faith Based Organisation weighs in
Acting chairperson of Tembisa Faith Based Organisation Bishop Michael Mtshali condemned the attacks on foreigners, citing that this act will affect the country as a whole.
“As Faith Based Organisation, we are saying this is unacceptable. It doesn’t only affect foreigners, but South Africans too. We have noted that shops and businesses belonging to local citizens were robbed and destroyed during the riots and this can’t be right. It only destroys the gains of democracy and freedom.
“Most of the people who participated in these riots are criminals because there is no sane person who would want to destroy a shop that is providing job opportunities for our children.
“We agree that as a country we need to do something about the lack of jobs and poverty, but we can’t address this through violence, especially against other human beings. After all, we are all human beings,” said Mtshali.
Mtshali appealed for peace and tolerance, saying the country’s freedom fighters were accommodated by foreigners in foreign lands during the apartheid era.
