Landlords in Dube, Soweto, have been given seven days to remove foreign national spaza shop operators from their properties, following a door-to-door campaign by the Soweto Uprising movement and residents on Monday, 12 October.
The group says it wants to see the local spaza shop sector reclaimed by South Africans, with its actions adding to growing tensions over foreign-owned businesses, immigration and economic opportunities in communities.
According to reports by Sowetan and TimesLIVE, movement leader Lungi Yende said the notices were directed at landlords renting space to Somali nationals. The group has vowed to return after seven days to check whether landlords have complied with its demands. Police were monitoring the campaign.
The action follows unrest in Soweto last week, when foreign-owned businesses were targeted amid protests calling for foreign nationals to leave the area. Reports on Thursday, 8 October, also documented looting and vehicles being set alight during clashes in the township.
Some residents have raised concerns about who operates local spaza shops and whether business owners comply with the law. Landlord Patricia Mbatha reportedly told Sowetan that she had tried to remove a foreign national tenant from her property but that he had returned to operating after an earlier police intervention.
However, allegations about an individual’s immigration status must be verified through the appropriate authorities rather than assumed from their nationality or the absence of documents presented to a resident.
The situation also raises questions about the distinction between community demands and the legal process required to remove tenants from properties.
South Africa’s Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE Act) provides legal procedures for evictions. Under the Act, a person may not be evicted unlawfully, and a court order is required for an eviction covered by the legislation. A seven-day notice issued by a community movement does not, by itself, constitute a court eviction order.
Landlords who believe that a tenant is operating unlawfully or breaching a rental agreement should seek assistance through the relevant legal channels. Authorities should investigate suspected immigration or business-law violations and take appropriate action where evidence supports it.
The developments in Dube come amid wider national debate about immigration, unemployment and the role of foreign nationals in South Africa’s informal economy. The Department of Home Affairs recently withdrew an asylum-processing directive following protests and violence, while the government warned that misinformation about asylum law had contributed to tensions.
For communities, the challenge is to address legitimate concerns about business compliance, local economic participation and law enforcement without exposing people or their property to intimidation or violence.
As the seven-day period unfolds, attention will turn to whether the landlords respond to the demands and how police and relevant authorities manage the situation.
The developments underline the importance of lawful enforcement, verified information and accountability from all parties as tensions over spaza shops continue to affect communities in Soweto.
