Velani Ludidi

Cape Town – Somali business owners have made a shocking revelation that they prefer paying extortionists.

Following the shooting of three Somali business owners and one from Malawi in Site B on Tuesday, the “Weekend Argus” had time to speak to other business owners who revealed that they save a lot when they pay extortion gangs what is known as a “protection fee”. A single business owner pays R1 500 and then enjoys protection from robberies and break-ins.

“We were losing large sums of money due to robberies and break-ins,” said one business owner, who cannot be named due to fear.

“This happened for a long time until this protection fee was introduced. If you pay, it saves you from trouble. It is better to lose R1 500 because it is less than what we used to lose before.”

The business owners said the robberies would happen closer when they had large sums of money and the robbers would take all of it. “This would happen more than once a month. It was like they knew when money was available. The robbers would also take airtime and cigarettes because they are easier to sell.”

Khayelitsha alone has more than 500 spaza shops which are targeted by extortionists. Eleven Somalis have been killed in recent months over extortion. It is believed that there has been an increase in extortion gangs and they target the same shops.

Shop owners pay those who come first. When another group arrives and they find out the money was paid to another group, they sometimes shoot at the business owners. They then hunt the other groups and this sometimes leads to mass shootings.

Somali Community Board of South Africa chairperson Abdirizak Ali Osman confirmed that their members feel safer when paying the protection fee. “But we do not agree with them,” he said. “Extortion will lead to more problems than solutions. We should be guided by the laws and regulations of this country. Extortion is unlawful and we will never support it.”

Osman added that they do not have the capacity to hire private security to protect the business people. “It all boils down to law enforcement agencies. If criminals were being arrested, (put on) trial and sentenced, it would send a strong message to other criminals. But now no arrests are being made and criminals have realised that nothing will happen to them even if they break the law.”

Mbulelo Dwane, from Ntsikelelo Yethu Foundation, said it does not shock them that Somali business owners find refuge in criminals rather than the SAPS. “We are, however, concerned and we should perhaps as the community speak to the businesses because they are aiding criminals by paying these fees.

“In Site C, we buried three innocent people that were caught up in the crossfire of these gangs. Also, the police are into this criminality. I have never seen a police officer paying for an item at a Somali-owned shop. They get freebies and you have to ask yourself why. The police have failed to deal with crime in Khayelitsha and other parts of the country.”

Source: IOL