Soweto residents protect Pakistani spaza owners as Operation Dudula arrives

Alameen Templeton

Residents in Wite City, Soweto, want nothing to do with attempts by Operation Dudula and the Patriotic Front to evict Pakistani spaza shop owners after tensions flared there over a recent shooting.
They saw enough of township violence during the Nineties when violence regularly spilled over from the Meadowlands hostel to the then neighbouring squatter camp of Mzimhlophe.
The area resembled a war zone last week as members of the Operation clashed with residents who were protecting local tuck shops.
Tensions flared over an incident two Saturdays ago, when a Pakistani tuck shop owner shot  (21) during an argument in the shop. Ngxongo is stable in hospital after having a bullet removed from his stomach.
Local police have been deployed to monitor the situation over fears of shops being looted.
Members of Operation Dudula and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) vowed to shut down foreign-owned spaza shops in White City and surrounding areas.
However, IOL reports long-standing residents of White City stood firm against the proposed shutdown, expressing strong opposition to Operation Dudula’s plans, particularly since it could lead to looting and violence.
Many local praised the essential role foreign spaza owners play in their daily lives, noting that the shop owners provide critical services and support to the community. They said they would not allow the shutdown to proceed.
Police spokesman Colonel Noxolo Kweza said the shop owner was charged with attempted murder and an investigation was under way.
Operation Dudula accused the police of insulting the Ngxongo family and of acting in a high-handed manner: “What we find disturbing and unacceptable as Operation Dudula is the manner the police at Moroka police station are behaving, and the behaviour is the insult to the family,” said Refile Mathe, in charge of commutation and marketing at Operation Dudula.
The group said it would shut down all Pakistani businesses in White City, Jabavu, and surrounding areas, starting from August 12.
Police and the Joburg Metro have been monitoring the situation in White City, but so far “no shops were closed, and no injuries have been reported. The possibility of further arrests cannot be ruled out”.
Dudula was incensed that the media was unconcerned when “a foreigner does wrong to a South African“.