Durban — In a harrowing incident that highlights the rising tide of extortion in uMlazi, Abdul Mohammed, an Ethiopian spaza shop owner, has found his business in ruins after a group of men allegedly set his store ablaze in the uMlazi, K section on Saturday.
The men allegedly demanded a ‘‘protection fee’’ of R5 000.
Recounting the incident, Mohammed said: “I narrowly escaped when the group of five men ransacked and torched my store. They threatened to kill me if I did not comply.”
The financial toll on Mohammed has been steep, with damages estimated at around R30 000.
“I will not reopen the store in the same neighbourhood for fear of the same incident happening again. Everything I have worked hard for has been destroyed,” he said.
Mohammed has been operating his shop since arriving in Durban in 2006. The father of two, aged seven and ten, also expressed his fears for his family’s safety.
“I have not yet opened a case against the culprits,” he said.
Community leader Musa Cebekhulu condemned the attack, calling for law enforcement to bring the perpetrators to book.
“This is wrong. We cannot allow people to extort honest businesses. The police must hunt down the perpetrators,” he urged, stressing that community involvement is critical in addressing this issue.
Philip Memela, a leader of the local community policing forum, echoed these sentiments, revealing that many business owners have faced similar extortion attempts.
“We urge business owners to contact the police immediately when such demands arise. We plead with Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to form a dedicated team to tackle this extortion issue,” he said.
Statistics released by Mchunu recently cited uMlazi as a notorious hotbed for the extortion of business owners.
This incident comes amid next week’s looming deadline for registration of spaza shops, on the back of the foodborne diseases that have tragically claimed the lives of over 23 children in Gauteng.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda instructed Mohammed and other victims of extortion to open a case at their nearest police station so that the police could investigate.
While the government’s intervention aims to instil a sense of order, the rising violence and extortion seem to pose an even greater threat to the livelihoods of local businesspeople like Mohammed, whose fear echoes the sentiments of many in the community
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