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Raymond Jaravaza
A SHOP owner in Emakhandeni suburb received a phone call that scores of youths – armed to the teeth with machetes, bricks, sticks and knobkerries – were singing and chanting slogans around his shop on Tuesday morning.
The first thought on Mlungisi Mahlangu’s mind was that his grocery shop and bottle store would in a matter of minutes burst into flames when the group of “rowdy” youths is done looting and ransacking every corner of the building in search of groceries and anything of value.
Such was the story across all suburbs in Bulawayo as shops were looted and in extreme cases reduced to ashes.
The wave of attacks on businesses started on Monday morning in the aftermath of a Government announcement that the price of fuel had been increased.
On the other side of Emakhandeni suburb popularly known as koApollo, – a small complex with about three retail shops, a butchery and bottle store – rowdy youths had already set their looting mode in motion.
Shops were vandalised in the blink of an eye, everything worth taking home looted, shop owners and their employees ran for dear life and watched their source of livelihood go up in smoke.
For Mahlangu it was just a matter of time before his shop was the next target.
“As I raced from my house to the shop (he lives in the same suburb), I kept praying that they take whatever they want and not set the building on fire. It’s much cheaper to re-stock than rebuild a shop that has been completely destroyed by fire.
“I also have refrigerators that belong to Delta Beverages so burning the building would have left me in a much deeper hole,” said Mahlangu.
As he turned the street corner next to his shop, the local businessman could not believe his eyes.
Instead of a thick smoke he had envisaged bellowing from his shop, he was greeted by barricades set by the local youths preventing rival ‘looters’ from the other side of Emakhandeni suburb from looting in their territory.
The group of about 30 youths had been tipped that looters that had just caused havoc koApollo were headed to their local turf to continue with the wanton destruction of property.
It was not to be according to the youths.
Armed with every known form of weapon, it was time to defend their local shop and businessman some of the youths have known since they were little boys.
“We have known umdala (Mahlangu) since we were little kids, buying sweets and bread from this shop, and now we are expected to break into his building and steal groceries just because other youths are doing it,” charged one youth.
Suddenly it was raining bricks and stones in the direction that the rival youths were approaching Mahlangu’s shop as the local youths made their intentions known that they would not be coerced or forced into looting from their turf.
With the help of the youths Mahlangu took several trips loading groceries and refrigerators into his truck for safe keeping at home, at least until the security situation improves and Zimbabweans can go about their daily business freely.
Online Reporter