Zodidi Mhlana

Mduduzi Vilakazi from Thokoza had just finished watching Soul City when he heard piercing screams outside then loud explosions, one after the other.

When he rushed outside he was shocked to find his neighbour’s red container spaza shop in flames.

“I heard screams coming from the spaza shop, then explosions. When I got outside I saw the shop was on fire. We had to demolish the brick wall against the container in order to gain entrance as the front door was closed,” Vilakazi explains.

Two Bangladeshi nationals who were running their business in Vilakazi’s yard are fighting for their lives in Natalspruit Hospital after their business was petrol-bombed on Tuesday night in Thokoza, Ekurhuleni.

Both men are in a serious condition.

Vilakazi and other community members were shocked by the terrible injuries suffered by their foreign neighbours.

“We are still shocked as we do not know what might have led to the burning. We had to carry them out of the container as they could not even walk or speak.

“We extinguished the fire and then phoned the police,” he said.

Vilakazi said at the time of the attack, the business was still open as they closed late at night.

A neighbour, Sabelo Dube, said the attack would drive foreign business people out of the townships.

“What happened to the two guys was wrong because the landlord they were renting from was getting money from them each month. Now that will not happen because of the attack.

“This is local business people fighting against foreigners and it is wrong. When you are in business you must expect competition.

“They cannot just drive people away by attacking them. They even talk on local radio stations that they do not want to see them in our township,” Dube said.

Foreign businessmen in the township feared for their lives after the attack.

“I heard about what happened to the other shop and I’m scared they might come to us as well, as we do not know what led to the incident.

“We are asking the police to protect us,” said a business owner who did not want to be named.

Capt Godfrey Maditsi said a group of men went inside the shop and demanded the two owners open their money container. When they refused their property was set alight. It was not clear how many robbers there were.

Two cases of attempted murder and arson were opened.

There has been wide condemnation of the attack.

The SACP in Gauteng strongly denounced the assault on the two men.

“Such behaviour cannot be tolerated and can only be attributed to lack of tolerance and respect for human life. We call upon all progressive forces in our communities to remain vigilant so genuine community struggles are not hijacked by criminal and xenophobic elements,” provincial spokesperson Pat Ntsobi said yesterday.

The party called upon the police to ensure the perpetrators were brought to book.

The IFP described the incident as disgraceful and lamentable.

Petros Sithole, the IFP’s chairperson in Gauteng, said: “As a nation, we have an obligation to assist refugees who flee their countries fearing for their own safety.” No arrests have yet been made.

zodidim@thenewage.co.za