Is the Closure of Foreign Owned Shops Good for South Africans?

South African Police Services are obligated to battle relentlessly against the illicit trade of counterfeit goods. The Department of Health must work tirelessly to ensure that South African Citizen’s health is protected. 

Counterfeit goods have a detrimental impact on South African Citizens. It also has a negative impact on the economy. Caution is placed on goods that are counterfeited but also on consumer products that have exceeded its expiry date. Communities must be vigilant in regards to the products sold to them by local consumer businesses. 

In recent times container spaza shops have engulfed South African communities with most owners of these shops known as foreign nationals seeking to establish themselves as prominent business owners in South Africa. Most of these foreign business owners are of Asian descent having crept deep into the communities that are vulnerable and desperately in need of access to daily household products. 

The foreign business owners have become a threat to the health and safety of the communities that they do business in and ever since the death of two boys Neo Khang and Leon Jele who ate biscuits that they bought at a spaza shop in Soweto, communities are asking SAPS and the Department of Health to become more actively involved by monitoring these spaza shops and activities surrounding the foreign business owners. The expectation is straightforward for public government entities to ensure that communities are protected against hazardous practices that threaten the livelihoods of South Africans.

South African Citizens are also concerned about the state of the economy. Many view foreign nationals as a disruptive concern to the greatness and prosperity of business and trade on a national level in South Africa. Some citizens have spoken out against foreign national business owners in South Africa especially those who have a direct impact on the circumstances and health of ordinary citizens. 

Carlo Small says “As South Africans, we must create, build, and maintain our own businesses within our own communities. It is not rocket science, we possess the needed skills to start our own shops and run them successfully. Through our own initiatives and support for one another, we can rebuild the economy of South Africa.”

Carlo urges South African Citizens to step up and take ownership of their own communities instead of handing total control over to foreign nationals who have a greedy capitalist agenda. Tension is building in certain regions however through cooperation and active intervention state and private entities must work toward overcoming the disastrous threat posed by foreign nationals on the well-being of South African Citizens.