Mpumalanga | Tensions boil over as community closes shops

[00:00:00]Community blitz raid, shops forced to close and street vendors removed from restricted areas. Residents claim some foreign-owned businesses are operating without a business permits and proper documentation and selling expired food and counterfeit products. The community says law enforcement has failed them.

[00:00:22]>> We decided to close shops due to poisonous food that we find in our families. Our children are buying snacks from these foreigners and then they get sick. These shops are harboring things that we don't want. They are selling old stocks which are expired. Those people who are above, whether it's BMA or whoever is an authority or let them care come to South Africa or in our village in Tonga to have shops and all these businesses that they are running must come to us and we'll tell them that we don't want them.

[00:00:54]>> They say businesses once owned by locals have gradually disappeared leaving many without economic opportunities.

[00:01:03]>> That's why we stood up as a community cuz we want to start our own. So they must go back to their own countries. Why they failed to open their own business in their countries to the foreign countries? Say they come here with the with the fake document as well.

[00:01:17]>> Some shop owners deny the allegations.

[00:01:20]Destar, a tumor originally from Ethiopia, says he has lived in South Africa for 15 years. He insists his immigration and business documents are in order. He has admitted that not every foreign traders complies with the law.

[00:01:38]>> Uh 80% just here with papers.

[00:01:43]Here with documents.

[00:01:45]These people they don't ask the papers and documents. Just they come in the group. They come and they say you must close the shop.

[00:01:55]When they leave, the other they come and then he say we must close the shop.

[00:02:00]It's not that it's not fair.

[00:02:03]That is not fair.

[00:02:04]Suppose they must if we going to close the shop tomorrow, suppose they must tell today. If he going to check one by one, he won't find any expired things.

[00:02:15]We clean long time. Maybe it's before.

[00:02:19]Maybe it's before. Now, all the shop is clean.

[00:02:23]>> Other traders say rising tensions have left them fearing for their safety.

[00:02:29]I have all the necessary documents, but I closed my shop because I'm afraid of these people and there is no police visibility. We might get killed.

[00:02:40]Nkomazi Municipality has acknowledged that some municipal bylaws are being violated and warns residents not to take the law into their hands saying enforcement must be left to the relevant authorities. Dumolani Machola, SABC News, Tonga.