Soweto shopkeepers say they won’t be driven out

Foreign store owners say they’ll return, despite being chased out of parts of Soweto.

They say not everybody wants them out.

Those affected have called on government to be strict in regulating spaza shops to avoid a repeat of scenes that unfolded this week.

The African Diaspora Forum says the government is failing to do its job in regulating township businesses.

Sheik Amir, the Somali community chairperson said, “We do not have the capacity to go around inspecting shops whether they sell counterfeit goods or not. We met with the victims to say, do you indeed sell expired goods and if so why will you do that”

Over the past week, foreign nationals accused of selling counterfeit food products had their shops looted by locals.

Three people died and one other person was hospitalised.

Leaders representing shop owners say things didn’t need to go as far as they did.

The Department of Home Affairs says it’s already conducting regular inspections to make sure that all people are properly documented.

Source: News24

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