Soweto – A wave of xenophobic attacks and forced closures of foreign-owned businesses has swept across Soweto in South Africa, leading to a mass exodus of Zimbabweans and other African nationals.
The violence, instigated by the controversial vigilante group Operation Dudula, has left communities in turmoil and sparked fears of further unrest.
The latest escalation of violence and intimidation began on Monday, following the shooting of a young man, Lusanda Ngxongo, allegedly by a shop owner in White City.
The incident sparked outrage among residents, who accused foreign nationals of stealing their jobs and posing a threat to the community.
Operation Dudula members, clad in their distinctive T-shirts, have been targeting shops owned by foreigners, forcing them to close down or demanding a 30% share of their profits.
Meanwhile, Dudula Movelent has been seen moving around the area, identifying tuckshops and removing owners who are not South African. They have even gone as far as helping them pack up and organising transport for them against their will.
One terrified woman, a Mozambican who has lived in South Africa for 12 years, described the harrowing experience of watching her vegetable stall being ransacked by the group.
"I have six children. When these people came, I showed them my permits, and they told me that those papers don’t work. I don’t even know where to start. I don’t even have money to go home in Maputo, but I want to go back home because as you can see, I’m being abused here," she said.
The woman, who feared for her life and refused to be named, managed to save some of her stock before fleeing to her shack, where she watched in horror as the group chanted struggle songs and tossed her tomatoes, onions, and potatoes to the ground.
The incident highlights the growing tension between locals and foreign nationals in Soweto, a region that has been a hotspot for xenophobic attacks in the past.
South Africa is home to millions of African migrants, including Zimbabweans, many of whom are seeking a better life and escaping economic hardship in their home countries. Estimates indicate that at least a million Zimbabweans are residing in South Africa, both legally and illegally.
Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula insists that the group's actions are driven by a desire to ensure the safety of the community.
"It’s very frustrating that they are even ready to pick up guns and shoot at us. They need to leave, and we will close all the shops around White City, and it’s not going to end here. We will close down all the tuckshops and talk to different stakeholders to help our people to take over," she said.
However, the group's actions have been condemned by many as xenophobic and illegal. Operation Dudula has no authority to regulate or force the closure of shops, and the police presence, while observed, has been ineffective in preventing unlawful activity.
The group's demands for a 30% profit share from foreign-owned spaza shops have also raised concerns about the potential for exploitation and the violation of the rights of foreign nationals.
Critics argue that such demands are discriminatory and could fuel xenophobia and increase tensions between South African citizens and foreign nationals, most of whom are from neighbouring countries.
In 2019, the Zimbabwean authorities evacuated over 200 of its nationals from South Africa following the death of two locals in xenophobic violence. During the raid, a police van and a Toyota Quantum, including a minibus with crime prevention wardens, arrived. But they remained in their cars for about five minutes before they left and did not return.
Anna Mnisi (42), the mother of Lusanda Ngxongo (24), who was shot on Saturday during a raid of a foreign-owned shop, said her son was still in intensive care unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
“I received a call in the afternoon that my son was shot and I should rush to the clinic. When I rushed to the clinic, I was told that my son was at a hospital. I was told by my neighbours that after he came from work, he and his friend decided to get a drink from a shop. He spilt the drink on the floor and the shop owner got angry and shot him twice in the stomach,” Mnisi said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza said they were investigating a case of attempted murder and had opened a docket.
“I can confirm that there was a person shot and injured and the person is in a stable condition in hospital,” Kweza said.
About 18 tuck shops had been raided by 4pm on Thursday.
Soweto has been a hotspot for tension between locals and spaza shops run by foreign nationals. Immigration has become increasingly politicised in South Africa since riots in major cities in July 2021.
In 2021, widespread looting took place across South Africa after the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma, which led to a nationwide shutdown and looting in Soweto. In 2019, dozens of foreign-owned spaza shops were targeted in a widespread looting spree by residents in various townships in Soweto.
In August 2018, residents in Tshepisong, west of Johannesburg, engaged in a looting spree of foreign-owned shops after claiming they were selling expired food items. Four people were killed during the week-long violence.
