Foreign shopkeepers live in fear

KABOKWENI – Foreign shopkeepers in the area and surroundings are being terrorised by the nyaope boys, who are allegedly being used by local business people to instil fear in them.

The foreign nationals, a majority of them Pakistanis and Indians, are being accused of “stealing their customers by offering credit and selling items at a cheaper price”. It is alleged that the locals are sending the nyaope boys to rob shops owned by foreigners at night.

One of the foreign nationals, Mr Ashraf Mohamed, said, “I was approached by one of the local business owners who lives near my place. He told me that I must not open my shop on Saturday and Sunday because I am destroying his business. I asked him how, and he started to insult me and called me a thief for stealing his clients. He further claimed that he also sells chips and people are no longer supporting him, instead they buy from my shop.

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“He told me that I am not going to win this battle. The following day a group of young men attacked me in my shop. They took money and other valuable items such as airtime and cooking oil. Before they left, they also instructed me not to open my store again.”
Meanwhile, the local police also raised concerns about business robbery that is on the rise in this area. Spokesperson for the local police,

Capt Shirley Ngomane, said, “This is problematic in this area as we have received numerous cases. We were called to Mafambisa and Clau-Clau on Saturday. These areas are the hot spots for such crimes and in both instances, the suspects were threatened with firearms, and an undisclosed amount of money was taken. We would like to advise business owners not to close their stores very late, as it seems as though thugs are targeting shops that are busy and close late at night.”

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Ngomane warned them not to sleep inside their stores because they were putting their lives at risk.