Many displaced shop owners have reluctantly returned to their shops this week, a month after fleeing looting mobs.
However, the future of some of those still at Stone Crescent Hotel, where they have been housed for the past month, still hangs in the balance.
Many displaced shop owners have reluctantly returned to their shops this week, a month after fleeing looting mobs.
However, the future of some of those still at Stone Crescent Hotel, where they have been housed for the past month, still hangs in the balance.
Makana Municipality had agreed to foot the bill for the displaced shop owners at the hotel until Wednesday, 25 November. However, by yesterday some residents hadn't been able to secure alternative accommodation.
Hotel owner Tariq Hayat told Grocott’s Mail that about 40 shop owners had spent Wednesday night at the hotel, even though they were meant to have left that day. Hayat said he had approached Makana Municipality regarding the issue and they were continuing discussions about it.
Makana Municipality Disaster Management Unit manager Khuselo Qupe said there were still 35 shop owners who remained in the hotel late last night. Qupe said the remaining shop owners say they do not have money to re-open their businesses and are in need of financial assistance.
He said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has promised to speed up a process meant to provide 108 displaced residents with money for rent and food for a period of two months.
Yesterday Hayat said some of the residents had left with keys to their rooms and hadn't returned them to him.
“That means some may come back tonight [Thursday],” he said.
During their stay at the hotel the shop owners had complained that they were starving there. They said food donated to them was just disappearing. They told Grocott’s Mail that there were times they ate only once a day.
During an interview with Grocott’s Mail, Hayat explained that the hotel was not in any way involved in feeding the shop owners.
Hayat said the displaced people had their own kitchen and a store room where food was kept. This was managed by a committee elected by the different groups.
“They would go to the store room in the morning and in the evening to get food and cook for themselves in the kitchen,” he said. The group was made up of people from Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"They cooked for themselves because they were from different countries," said Hayat.
He confirmed that they have since vacated the hotel and the remaining about 35 left on Wednesday 25 November.
He said those were mostly Bangladeshis and a few Ethiopians.
Muhammad Khalil, from Extension 6, said they had returned to their shop last week.
He said they had taken out a loan to buy stock for their shop.
Khalil said before their return, they had visited some homes in the street where their shop is, to find out whether they were welcome or not.
"We asked if we could come back and open our shop and they said it's fine. We were told that we should return. People said they were struggling living without the shops," said Khalil.
"This year we are in our 10th year here. This was the first shop owned by foreign nationals in the location. Our colleagues followed after us," said Khalil.
He said people from that community had promised them that there would be no more looting.
Since their return, Khalil said, nothing bad had happened. Khalil said there were a few people who came and spoke negatively, but they were thugs.
Vuyiseka Ngqinzi, wife of an immigrant in Joza, said since their return, no one had said anything negative and people were buying as usual.
"We returned here on Tuesday. We had opened the shop before, but last Thursday, police came and told us to close it.
"They said there were rumours going around that the shops would be looted again. So we closed it and opened again on Tuesday this week.
"We have heard of other rumours now that the looting will happen again on 23 December just before Christmas. We don't know if that is true or not," said Ngqinzi.
In Ghost Town, Jacqueline Khokan, who is married to Abdul Aziz Khokan, said they have returned to their shop.
However, last Thursday they had to close it because of rumours of more looting. She said it was difficult to say things were back to normal now.
"We might say it's back to normal, but you never now what is coming in the future. The stock that you see is bought with borrowed money.
"We borrowed money to start up this shop again. We still have to buy more stock. This shelves were full before that looting," said Khokan.
She thanked God that that difficult time was past. Khan said people of the area had welcomed them back and were happy at their return. She said she was from that area, and people there were very nice. and those who looted were from other areas. She said they were praying that something like that never happens again.
Their store is a registered business and they showed Grocott's Mail reporters the documents. Shoukat Hayat, from Extension 6, who is an immigrant from Pakistan, said he returned to his shop on Monday. He said it was fine at the moment, but it was difficult because he has nothing.
"Everything was taken and now I'm struggling. But people are friendly and I can't complain.I open at 5am and close late at night.
"That way I'm trying to help people who are working and would want to buy something before going to work "There is nothing bad or wrong that we are doing. It's just a business," said Shoukat.
Shabi Amonkey, who has a shop in Scott's Farm, said since his return things had been calm.
"Only few people talk negative things but I just keep quiet when they say their things to me.
"It's just the thugs who say those things. Otherwise, other people are just fine," said Amonkey, whose former home is Ghana.
