One Somalian national is recovering in hospital after he was stabbed by looters, when over 200 foreign nationals’ shops were looted by Grahamstonians on Wednesday this week.
One Somalian national is recovering in hospital after he was stabbed by looters, when over 200 foreign nationals’ shops were looted by Grahamstonians on Wednesday this week.
Some of the foreign shopkeepers have been taken to a safe zone where Grocott’s Mail paid them visit yesterday, finding the group standing outside, doing nothing.
They said what happened on Wednesday and Thursday came out of the blue. “I have been in South Africa for the past 15 years and specifically here in Grahamstown.
I have never experienced anything bad in all those years,” said Naftah Aden who owns a shop in Joza. “I have been living a beautiful life here. It’s something surprising what happened and I still can’t believe it.
If things could work out and be sorted, well I can go back and continue with the business because I know what the country is like.” Mohammed Haastti said he has been left with the clothes he was wearing.
He said when the crowd came in to his shop he couldn’t take anything with him. He left all his belongings behind. “I left with bare hands. I was alone when they entered my shop.
I didn’t notice or even expect anything. They came in numbers and I couldn’t take anything like clothes and some documents. They said they didn’t want me and I must go outside,” said Haastti.
Another victim of the looting, Mohomed Abdullatti, said the mob arrived around 12 noon at his shop. “They started in a shop next door to mine. Immediately, I closed the door but that didn’t help. Shortly after that I heard that they were coming to mine now.
I heard them breaking the door and they came in running, one police officer arrived but he couldn’t do anything and they overpowered the police. I left with the clothes that I am wearing,” said Abdullatti.
The foreign nationals said they don’t even have clothes to change into. They said police told them that they were going to save only their lives and that they should leave the stock and let people take it.
The victims said they were struggling even to get something to eat.
