Police hit CBD shops

Source: The Witness, 22/07/2020

When Weekend Witness arrived shortly after 10 am yesterday, the
usually bustling tuck-shop business zone stretching from the
corner of West and Pietermaritz Street to Pine Street resembled a
war zone, with heavily armed soldiers all over the place. “You
came to my country to commit crime, we won’t allow you to do as
you like,” a soldier was heard screaming.
Some owners locked their stores as soon as they realised they were
being rounded up while others never got the opportunity to close.
Where shops had been locked, officers used crowbars to break the
locks.
Army nyalas were used to block the adjacent roads, cutting off
escape routes.
The shop owners, some of whom were visibly terrified, were made to
stand in the middle of the road from where they were loaded into
police vans.
The raid came a week after police officers conducting an anti-
crime operation in the same area were involved in violent clashes
with a mob. During that operation one person died and three
sustained injuries after police retaliated by opening fire.
There were expectations that officers who conducted Friday’s raids
would meet resistance given the tensions created by last week’s
shooting.
However, there was no resistance during Friday’s raid.
A police source told Weekend Witness that police decided to raid
the area after receiving complaints that some shop owners
continued to sell cigarettes despite current Covid-19 regulations
making it illegal to do so. “They were not only selling to
smokers, they were also selling in bulk to other shop owners in
townships and other areas.
“We also received information that many of the shop owners do not
have documents either, allowing them to operate tuck shops or to
be in the country,” the police officer said.
According to the source, about 100 foreign nationals were arrested
for various transgressions during Friday’s raid.
The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, which recently set up a
fund to support local-owned tuck shops is currently on a campaign
to shut down foreign-owned tuck shops operating without a licence.
Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC,
Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said the department warned businesses operating
outside of regulations to either desist or face the might of the
law.
“As a department we will not tolerate a situation where business
owners operating within the law are forced to close shop due to
individuals who disregard regulations. The department’s consumer
complaints unit, working with law enforcement officers, has a
responsibility to protect businesses conducting their operations
according to the book against bogus business owners who have no
respect for the law,” she said.
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