Foreign-owned tuckshops in Pimville and Eldorado Park closed their doors this morning, while South African-owned spaza shops continued operating as normal.

The owner of Ditau Tsa Moloi Tuckshop on Mmilo Street, Zone 2, Pimville, which operates near a foreign-owned shop, told Soweto Urban that his business is doing well.

He said people who would usually pass by his store to buy from the foreign-owned shop are now buying from his shop.

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“When they were still here, I was struggling to run this business. I was not able to make enough because a lot of people supported them. Only a handful came to my shop,” said Moloi.

“Our request to government is for them to provide us with funding to capacitate us so that we can better serve our communities.”

The owner of Barber Craft, Duane Josephs, said as a South African he had no fears about operating today.

“First thing is because I put God first. And yeah, man, we must operate. Even though there are foreigners, I still believe that they must work because everyone struggles and everyone needs to feed their family.”

When asked how he deals with competition, Josephs said he does not have any competition, adding that foreign-owned barber shops are not his competitors.

“I will say for those who have the documents, they are welcome to stay. But for those who don’t, I mean, it is the law, they have to leave.”

There are no reports of marches in Eldorado Park and Pimville. Soweto Urban remains on the ground to update readers on any changes.