Operation Dudula has called for the arrest of landlords renting out space to illegal foreigners who run spaza shops in the townships. This comes after the deaths of five children from Naledi in Soweto who allegedly consumed poisonous chips called Brown Dash.

RECLAIM THE KASI SPAZA SHOPS

Soweto regional coordinator, Nomasonto Nkwanyana, said they are fighting a losing battle by evicting foreign spaza shop owners instead of dealing with the people that give them space in their yards. "Whenever such incidents occur, we evict the spaza shop owners, but they come back one by one. Maybe it's time the police arrest the landlords that rent out space to undocumented foreigners in their yards, and operate tuckshops without proper documentation. Should a tragedy like this happen, these undocumented foreigners disappear without a trace,and there's no one to hold accountable." She said it's time kasi people operate their own spaza shops. "We are calling on landlords to reopen the shops themselves as their children are not working. How can they allow foreigners to come and make money in their yards while their children are unemployed?" Nkwanyana said 10 spaza shops were shut down since Sunday after the tragic incident. 

BE CALM

Meanwhile, the MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, has called for the residents of Tladi and Naledi to remain calm, promising to visit them over the weekend. Maile urged the communities to not take the law into their own hands following looting incidents. "I will visit the affected areas in Soweto this coming weekend to interact with spaza shop owners and informal traders. We will intensify the Qondis' Ishishini Lakho (Fix Your Business) campaign as a powerful instrument to crack down on non-complaint businesses across the province, especially in townships," Maile said. The looting of spaza shops in the area is continuing.