The traders were forced to flee the informal settlement on April 25 and 26, after a group of angry Lesotho nationals went on the rampage, vandalising and looting foreign-owned shops.
The wave of attacks and looting was triggered after a foreign shop owner allegedly shot and killed a Lesotho man during an argument about change.
A wave of panic swept through the group of foreign shop owners and they started closing their shops, with others moving their goods to a place of safety.
Some of the shop owners have already started trading again, while others are still moving their stock back to their shops in the informal settlement.
A number of shops, however, remain closed, and it is unclear whether their owners will return to the area.
Speaking to the Advertiser, one of the Ethiopian shop owners, Daniel Ersamo, said although he decided to reopen his shop on May 4, he remains very wary of the looters, and he now lives in constant fear for his life.
“I’m still afraid that they may come here and take all my stock, but what else can I do? I’m also trying to make a living,” he said.
“Instead of allowing customers to enter the shop like I used to, I’m now using a small opening in the security gate to pass items through – this will make it difficult for any thieves to get my stock out of the shop without paying.”
Ethiopian shop owner Makoro Malasa, who owns several other shops in the North West and who has been in the country for more than 12 years, also reopened his shop on Wednesday, May 4.
He told the Advertiser that he still does not understand why they are being attacked.
“I don’t even know the person whom they say shot and killed their countryman. He is not my friend… we are not even from the same town. We don’t even speak the same language. They must deal with him and leave us alone,” he said.
“During the attacks on Monday, I closed my shop and wen
t to Germiston, but when I came back yesterday (May 3), all my stock and fridges had been stolen, so I had to purchase new stock.”
Malasa added that even though his shop was previously attacked several times by robbers, he is not afraid to continue trading in the area.
According to a reliable source, some of the foreign shop owners have met with the family of the man who was allegedly gunned down by one of their countrymen.
“They have apologised for the shooting incident and have also contributed R20 000 to go towards burial costs,” said the source, who added that he is convinced tensions won’t erupt again.
When Malasa was asked if he was among the shop owners who donated money to the family of the deceased, he said: “No, I didn’t contribute anything. I heard that some of the shop owners donated money to the family. I don’t want to donate anything because I did nothing wrong to their son.”
The businessmen said although they have been affected by the perpetual lootings, returning to their home countries is not an option.
Although the situation in the area remains calm, police are monitoring and continuously raiding a number of flash points in the area, following the outbreak of violence.
Armed police officers raced from section to section during the attacks, waging bitter battles against the looters who retaliated with bricks and bottles.
More police officers were later deployed to try to quell the violence, and peace was later restored to the area.
Several people were arrested for public violence and possession of the goods stolen from the foreign-owned shops.-@FanieFLK
Situation in Angelo returned to normal
