By Mpheni Tshivhase
- Traders at Sizwe Shopping Centre and Protea Gardens Mall did not open their stalls on Tuesday, with no incidents reported in the area.
- One fruit and vegetable seller said fewer competing stalls meant better sales for her on the day.
Foreign-owned shops across parts of Soweto did not open on Tuesday. The closures came on the day anti-immigration marches were held in other parts of the country.
Streets in Protea Glen, Phiri, Mapetla, Sanoana, Dlamini and Tshiawelo were quiet. Most people carried on with their normal routines.
At Sizwe Shopping Centre, informal traders, salons, internet cafés, furniture shops and tattoo parlours, many run by foreign nationals, were closed or shuttered. The traders simply did not pitch.
Tshiawelo Clinic was calm, with no demonstrations in sight. The area outside the clinic, usually busy with vendors selling fruit, kota, sweets and chips to patients, was empty.
At Protea Gardens Mall, only one gate was open. The western side, normally lined with fruit and vegetable stalls and informal beauty services like manicures and pedicures, had no traders at all.
Taxis ran as usual. Police kept a visible presence at key points to monitor the area.
There were unconfirmed reports of arrests from local residents. Police had not confirmed this.
One fruit and vegetable seller said the quiet streets had been good for her business. She said sales were better than usual with less competition around.
Doctors’ practices in the area stayed open, with essential services running as normal.
Pictured above: Empty streets in parts of Soweto.
Image source: Mpheni Tshivhase
