Govan Mbeki flattens illegal shops
Somalis and Ethiopians seek legal advice about the demolishion of their shops.
eMBALENHLE – Govan Mbeki Municipality has begun to demolish shops that belong to Somalis and Ethiopians that were illegally built on residential stands without approved plans.
Four were bulldozed in Extension 15 and 16 on Wednesday, 23 July.
This is an ongoing operation.
People looted some of the shops and nobody has been arrested yet.
Municipal senior officials and police officers held a meeting with the owners who began building shops, on 16 June to inform them about the demolition, but they were apparently ignored.
Mr Joseph Mhlongo, chairman of the local Community Policing Forum, said some of the owners walked out of the meeting.
“This is not about xenophobia, but we want them to comply with the law.”
Mr Mhlongo said these owners violated the agreement that they had with them in 2009 that they should not continue to build more shops, because they fight among one another for customers.
He said some of the owners trade until late, which attract criminals.
Others do not have trading permits.
Mr Mhlongo said they have encouraged foreign shop owners in the past to stick to their trading hours and to refrain from keeping large sums of money on their premises.
They also asked them to not sleep inside their shops, because it is unsafe and unhealthy.
Some of the owners are seeking legal advice with the intention of suing the municipality.
The municipality has not yet commented.
