By Mpheni Tshivhase
- An Ethiopian spaza shop owner in Protea Glen says he has traded from the same spot for over a decade and will not be leaving South Africa.
- A Mozambican woman trading from a tent says her spot was empty before she arrived and she does not understand claims that she is taking anyone’s job.
An Ethiopian spaza shop owner in Protea Glen, Soweto, says he is not going anywhere. He has sold from the same spot in Extension 7 for more than ten years, and he intends to keep doing so.
He told Scrolla he would close on Tuesday in line with the unofficial June 30 deadline — but only for the day. He plans to reopen on Wednesday.
Several foreign-owned businesses in the area were trading as normal on Monday.
A Mozambican woman selling from a tent near the show grounds said she would close on Tuesday in response to pressure from some community members, but was clear that she is in South Africa legally and is not leaving.
“I came to work for my children,” she said.
She pushed back on claims that she is taking jobs from South Africans, pointing out that nobody was operating from her spot before she set up there.
Across from her, another Mozambican-owned business was also open. An employee said they were still unsure whether they would close on Tuesday.
Not everyone on the street is a foreign national.
A South African salon owner said she had no reason to shut down. Her business is locally owned and employs only South Africans.
A South African trader on the same street said he would also stay open, but raised frustrations about how businesses are treated differently when it comes to compliance. He said enforcement falls harder on South African-owned businesses while others are left alone, and argued that landlords are not being held to account.
By Monday, the usually busy street leading to Protea Glen Mall was noticeably quieter. Fewer vendors were out. Only a handful of food delivery riders were visible near the local McDonald’s.
Tuesday will show how many of them come back.
Pictured above: Traders in Protea Glen, Soweto, ahead of the unofficial June 30 deadline.
Image source: Supplied
