eMBALENHLE – Foreign national shops were closed for three days when the owners marched to the eMbalenhle Police Station.
More than a thousand Somali and Ethiopian shop owners stormed the eMbalenhle Police Station on Tuesday, 19 April to voice their concerns over the recent spate of shop robberies and murders of their countrymen.
Some disgruntled foreign nationals became physical with the police and forcefully tried to enter the police station.
The situation went out of control when a South African woman who was with the protesters group, began to shout and point out police officers and political leaders who were accused of corruption and were allegedly being involved with the robbers.
She stripped off and stood naked and called out the names of the alleged corrupt officers and politicians.
Police reprimanded her, but she fought back and assaulted a police officer.
She was arrested.
Police armed themselves and eventually managed to force the protesters to the other side of the road, metres away from the police station.
Mr Johar Ali, leader of the foreign nationals, and other leaders, including the police station management, political leaders, the Community Policing Forum and Mr Mangaliso Mashiane, regional manager, had a meeting to resolve the matter.
The CPF chairman, Mr Joseph Mhlongo, told the foreign national leaders that he was not pleased with their behaviour.
“If you attack our law enforcers, you are undermining us.
“You say you need protection from us, but you are attacking us.”
Mr Jahar Ali apologised and said it was not their intention to fight with the police and that they came in good faith.
“We are here to seek protection from the police.
“We have been reporting our problem several times, but nothing has been done yet.
“Our shops are robbed daily and my people are killed.
“We cannot keep quiet while we are dying.”
Lt Col Victor Mnguni, crime manager, said it was time that the police and the foreign nationals work together to deal with the matter and to focus on the root causes of the crimes.
“The biggest problem is that these shops operate until late and the security measures are not up to standard.
“Work on your closing times.
“Another problem is that there is no database for these shops, because a new shop opens daily, which makes our job tough,” said Lt Col Mnguni.
Responding to a foreign national who complained that the police have not yet made any arrests regarding the robberies or murders, Capt Magonseni Nkosi, police spokesman, said the police are facing challenges, because foreign nationals lay charges, but never attend court hearings.
“Now you want us to arrest the person that you are suspecting of a crime, but unfortunately the procedure that does not allow us to do that.
“We do not arrest to investigate, but we investigate to arrest.
“If you have information, bring it to us.”
