Chaos as spaza owner 'shoots dead' resident

Sharpeville hit back at foreign nationals

A Sharpeville resident believed to have been part of a group of locals trying to drive foreign nationals out of the area was shot and killed during a heated confrontation with the spaza shop owners.

Allegations are that the deceased, a pub owner in the area, was one of the people trying to drive   Pakistani nationals out of the township on Thursday morning when he was killed.

“In retaliation, they [spaza owners] ended up shooting and killing a man who owns a lounge, more like a pub, in the area,” said Emfuleni communications manager Makhosonke Sangweni.

A police officer from Sharpeville police station who preferred to remain anonymous as he is not authorised to speak to the media  told Sowetan that the raids on foreign spaza shops started in the early hours of Thursday morning.

“Residents started chasing foreign nationals from their shops, claiming they are killing their children,” the officer said.

However, Sangweni said the community has never complained about the foreign owned shops before.

In fact, he said, the only people who complained were residents of Bophelong, a neigbouring township.

Sangweni said Bophelong residents had last year complained about suspected food poisoning, then took it upon themselves to drive out foreign shop owners from the area.

“We did have problems in Bophelong but the foreign nationals were removed successfully by members of the community because they were united. The process of by-laws was then kick-started. This process included educating communities about compliance in their spaza shops,” he said.  

Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said no suspects had been arrested in connection with the murder. “A number of tuck shops have been looted and stock burnt by community members,” she said.

"Five people have been arrested for public violence. Three foreign nationals who had unlicensed firearms were also arrested by the public order policing and crime prevention units, which were on the ground monitoring the situation,” she said.