3 days ago
Khayelitsha spaza shops reopen after extortionists agree not to increase fees
Foreign-owned spaza shops in Site C, Khayelitsha, reopened after extortionists agreed not to charged them increased protection fees.
Shop owners say increased police visibility forced the extortionists to back off.
The shop owners did not attend a Khayelitsha Community Policing Forum imbizo over the weekend.
Increased police visibility in Khayelitsha has prompted extortionists to agree not to charge foreign-owned spaza shops increased protection fees, according to some shop owners.
As a result, the spaza shops have reopened in Site C after a two-day shutdown.
Police visibility was increased after the murder of three Somali nationals in Taiwan informal settlement last week.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the shop owners told News24 that they were forced to close their businesses after multiple extortion groups demanded increased protection fees.
However, they said police visibility was increased in the area after the three murders, prompting the extortionists to agree not to increase their fees if the businesses reopened.
'The police were looking for them,' one shop owner told News24. 'So, the protection fee guys told us they'll decide who collects where and when. We cannot pay more than one group.'
However, to add insult to injury, the shop owners pointed out that despite paying the fees, their safety wasn't guaranteed.
'Before, they used to help with unruly customers, robberies, even during community protests. Now, when there are robberies, they're nowhere to be found. If they really protected us, there wouldn't be so many gangs extorting us.'
In an attempt to address the ongoing extortion crisis, the Khayelitsha Community Policing Forum (CPF) held an imbizo over the weekend.
But none of the shop owners attended it, CPF chairperson Phindile George said.
'The community rather spoke about general crime, like robbery and gender-based violence. The shops had already reopened by then,' he said.
Community activist Mbulelo Dwane also criticised the shopkeepers for not attending community safety meetings.
'They thought paying these 'boys' would keep them safe. Now the gangs have multiplied and spiralled out of control,' he added.
Meanwhile, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie urged shop owners to speak up.
'We cannot act unless these crimes are reported,' he said.
News24 previously reported that residents said the resurgence of extortion networks was linked to the death of alleged gangster and taxi boss Yanga 'Bara' Nyalara.
After Nyalara was killed in a shootout with police in the Eastern Cape in February, gangsters who previously fled from the Western Cape began to return, sparking a new wave of violence.
Some of those who fled reportedly ended up in Gqeberha, where they allegedly joined or formed gangs.
