FOREIGN OWNED SPAZA SHOPS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AMID SUS-PECTED POISON DEATHS

By Ml Luqman Skink, INX Prime news and current affairs editor

Following a recent spate in demonstrations, violence and looting of spaza shops owned by foreign nationals across the province, Gauteng MEC for Finance Lebogang Maile visited communities to address the tensions.

The MEC paid visits to Soweto and Sharpeville, the hardest hit by last week’s looting.

The Naledi community in Soweto was particularly tense after 6 children died after allegedly eating snacks from a spaza shop.

In his engagements, Maile called for an aggressive approach to address illegal immigration, unregistered spaza shops and sheer noncompliance by the owners of these businesses.

Maile said while he agreed with the sentiment that shops that sell expired goods should be closed, it is a much more complicated issue to wake up and close all the foreign-owned shops as they also had rights according to South African law.

INX Prime spoke to the chairperson of the African Diaspora Global Network, Dr Vusi Sibanda who told us that in the absence of scientific evidence for the cause of the children’s deaths, it is dangerous to blame the migrant community as a whole.

A Symptom of a Broader Issue

Sibanda explained that the systemic exclusion of migrants from the mainstream South African economy resulted in the crowding of the informal trading sector by migrants including Spaza shops.

”It is a dire and sad situation where children fall sick and pass on, but its very important that scientific causes are brought to the fore instead of lumping all the blame on foreign shop owners which results in the looting and burning of their property.”

A Call for Calm

Sibanda said it was unfortunate that efforts to engage in a calm manner were frustrated by politicians who use the issue to whip up anti-migrant sentiment and to score political points.

”The biggest challenge is bias in dealing with the issue. We need communities to act with restraint and we also need to see those who loot shops prosecuted for breaking the law.”

He urged communities to work together to find the cause and the evidence for these deaths and for the full might of the law to be equally implemented if either migrants or locals are found responsible.

Competition in the Spaza Shop Sector

Sibanda pointed out that there is a healthy dose of competition in the spaza shop sector, with South African spaza shop owners unable to compete with foreign spaza shop owners.

”The bulk of local spaza shop owners operate between 9 am and 5 pm and are unable to compete with foreign-owned spazas who stay open after hours. So in trying to remove the competition, they may want to encourage communities to take violent measures against their shops.”

Is the violence against foreign-owned spaza shop owners warranted and should government do more to ensure greater compliance with health and safety standards? Please share your comments below: