‘We’re used to it now’: Polokwane informal shop owners despondent as crime keeps spiking
Small businesses in the heart of the Polokwane CBD say they have long been under pressure, as petty criminals have made spaza shops and street vendors their constant targets.
Picture: © vrphotographyjhb/123rf
POLOKWANE - Along with unemployment and the current energy crisis, high levels of crime have remained a sticky issue for South Africans, with many now listening out for proposed solutions from politicians on ways to address it effectively.
Some business owners in Limpopo told Eyewitness News they learned to contend with this phenomenon, which not only hampers their growth but poses a risk to their very lives daily.
Small businesses in the heart of the Polokwane CBD say they have long been under pressure, as petty criminals have made spaza shops and street vendors their constant targets.
The latest police statistics also show that attempted murder, sexual offences, commercial crime, and common assault are on the rise in the province north of Gauteng.
STOLEN CHANCES TO MAKE A LIVING
The Polokwane city centre is a colourful place. Different characters fill the streets with commuters connecting to different modes of transport as they make their way to work.
It’s also a hive of economic activity as many ply their trades to eke out a living.
But for those in the informal sector, this comes with concerns over work permits and a secure space that will allow for access to potential customers.
This has also seen them facing harassment, and often having their stock stolen.
Taj Mohammed, a spaza shop owner on the busy R101 road leading from Polokwane to Johannesburg, bemoaned the many incidents of theft he experienced.
Mohammed said these are tied to the drug phenomenon being experienced across many parts of the country.
“We say don’t give nyaope to our children because they are robbing in town, these are few people. I want to tell all the drug dealers in Polokwane to please leave this place.”
Fifty-five-year-old Angelina Magongwa sells fresh vegetables at the corners of Market and Grobler Streets.
She also believes drugs are linked to some of her struggles, and that as a result, her business has become an easy target.
“We don't have the strength to fight them back because we’re elderly citizens. They steal from us and we see them roaming the streets of the city the next day. We’re used to it now.”
Their struggles are seemingly not lost on law enforcement officials.
During December, there were anti-crime campaigns, with police officers deployed to watch over the city. While this move is often appreciated by those working in the CBD, it's never permanent.