Energised ANC secretary-general has called on lawmakers to make it a law that spaza shops and barbershops must be preserved for South Africans.
Mbalula was speaking to ANC supporters in Pretoria during the so called “mass walk to deliver the peoples mandate” march to the City of Tshwane headquarters.
The tough-talking Mbalula was triggered by the deaths of children in various townships. The deaths were allegedly from consuming poisonous products from foreign-owned spaza shops.
Mbalula said government was making moves to regulate spaza shops.
Industry must be returned to ownership of South Africans
However, he charged, that would not be enough because the industry must be wholly returned to its previous owners – South Africans.
South Africa, said Mbalula, was the only country that does not have economic activities that are ring-fenced for participation by its citizens only.
This, in his view, had allowed all manner of rogue characters from other countries to do as they please with impunity.
“There’s a lot of ‘my friends’ whom we do not know where they come from. Spaza shops are dead in our townships. And we cannot complain forever like we are helpless. We have the power,” Mbalula said, much to the obviously pleased crowd agitating him with applause.
“We must do away with illegal spaza shops in this country. Spaza shops must be prioritised for South Africans. We cannot just have people from Somalia opening all sorts of faulty spaza shops.”
Most countries had strict laws against foreign nationals invading their territories and setting up shop as they please. This includes in the continent, he said.
Most countries have strict laws about informal businesses
“We must have strict laws like other countries. You can go to Ghana, there are jobs that are preserved for locals. A South African cannot get to Ghana and set up shop on the streets and start an informal barber shop,” he said.
“Barber shops business is preserved for Ghanaians in Ghana. We must also begin to have a law that stipulates that spaza shops and barber shops are preserved for South Africans. And that is not xenophobia, it is the truth.”
The former minister said time for talk was over. The ANC/DA-led government of national unity (GNU) must deliver the fruits, he said.
For their part as the ANC, he added, their deployees would be put under pressure to address these issues. The problems facing the highly infiltrated informal economy.
“Before coming here, I spoke to the president. And the president said to me they will make big announcements because there is this poison killing our kids at schools. They must arrest those dogs killing our children.
“Soldiers must get out of the barracks and close these spaza shops that are killing our children. How will our people vote for us when we play with power. We are going to crack the whip on ANC deployees in government. Because we did not send them there to go to sleep.”
Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content
Yes maybe on Spaza Shops you may be correct,but I strongly disagree on Barbershops.
This is nonsense, everything must be preserved for South African Blacks, who is going to buy anything from hateful xenophobic black locals. And theirs would be worse than the foreigners they complain about. Other jobs is for them while when they travel overseas they are free to do any job. This preposterous and the black South Africans are overstepping, it is time the courts are used, reason why businesses are closing and the economy is dying. This is evidence that these food poisoning issue is done by politicians and the locals.