Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans not to take the law into their own hands following the shutdown of foreign-owned spaza shops in Orlando East, Soweto.
The closures were driven by concerns over food safety and calls to reclaim the township economy.
Speaking at an ANC event in Limpopo, Ramaphosa said that only law enforcement agencies should handle such matters, warning citizens of the legal consequences of acting outside the law.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged communities not to take matters into their own hands. Ramaphosa was responding to calls by residents of Orlando East in Soweto to have foreign-owned shops shut down. He was speaking on the sidelines of the Thabazimbi rally in Limpopo ahead of… pic.twitter.com/feo9L7kYhM
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“We call on our people not to take the law into their own hands. The law can burn you. Co-operate with law enforcement agencies, point them in the right direction and they are the ones who must take action. Otherwise you will face consequences needlessly when you work outside the law. We want people to work within the law,” he said.
The warning comes after Ramaphosa’s November 15 announcement ordering the closure of spaza shops implicated in food poisoning deaths and giving owners 21 days to register their businesses.
Authorities have since begun shutting down non-compliant shops and investigating fraudulent registrations.
Ramaphosa reaffirmed that only spaza shops meeting health and regulatory standards would be allowed to operate.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
