MMC of Community Safety in Ekurhuleni Sizakele Masuku appealed to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) on Wednesday to address violent threats targeting spaza shop owners in townships.
This follows a Facebook post from a Vosloorus spaza shop owner that went viral on social media. Thulani Khumalo’s post urged the public to make the post trend after he received threats on his life.
On Friday, Khumalo said he was threatened after opening an informal supermarket. He said he now feared for his life and claimed to have survived an attempted hit on Thursday.
“A black man trying to earn a living in South Africa. Three month ago I opened a spaza shop and I am being hunted down by hired men to shoot and kill me.
“Should anything happen to me, it is because I tried to be a spaza shop owner in South Africa,” the post read.
Threats on spaza shop owner
After a visit to Khumalo on Tuesday, Masuku told the EMPD to intervene.
According to a statement from the City of Ekurhuleni, the unidentified people threatening Khumalo keep telling him to shut down his store “or else his life would be in danger”.
“Last week, one of Khumalo’s friends was shot by unknown people as he was leaving the former’s shop.
Khumalo says he and his family now live in fear as suspicious armed characters in different cars still come asking for him at home and his shop,” the statement read.
The councillor said threats on Khumalo’s life were unacceptable. He also asserted that South Africa encourages free trade and every person should be given an opportunity to conduct business and have a fair chance of competing in the market.
“We cannot sit back and allow these threats as a municipality. The EMPD must act swiftly and ensure that those behind this are locked up,” Masuku added.
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