Somali shopkeepers around Thohoyandou, Maniini and surrounding villages are living in fear, following a spate of violent armed robberies at their businesses.

The violent robbers not only robbed the owners of their cash and possessions, but they left some with scars that will be reminders for the rest of their lives. Some were hacked with pangas, while some were shot at with guns during the robberies. This has become a source of great concern to these businesspeople, who feel unsafe and that they are on their own, at the mercy of the criminals.

At the weekend, a group of three armed robbers attacked a shopkeeper at Maniini just outside Thohoyandou, hacking him with pangas and hitting him with a big hammer on the head.

Mr Omar Hassan (34), who was with his brother when the incident happened, is now nursing his injuries and a broken arm at the local hospital. His brother was lucky to have escaped injury.

Hassan said that at around 03:00 on Saturday morning they heard someone trying to break into their room, which is behind their shop. Before they could say or do anything, they were surprised by three men who had gained entry after breaking down the burglar door and the door leading to the room. The two brothers were attacked by the thugs, who demanded valuables like cell phones and cash, while one of them kept hitting them with a hammer and hacked them with a panga.

At one stage, one of the brothers was also set on fire by the robbers. "I thought they were going to kill me, as they were so angry and they shouted at us, threatening to kill us if we did not give them money. They hit my brother with a hammer on his head and body and slashed his hands with a panga. There was lots of blood in the room, but they just didn’t stop," said Mr Abdul Hassan.

He said they took R1 000 in cash and six cell phones. "The ordeal lasted more than 30 minutes. There was blood everywhere and all we did was to pray that they would not kill us. We are not safe here, even though we are law-abiding citizens and we are just trying to make an honest living. It seems the thugs are jealous of the good work we are doing for the community," said Hassan, who will never forget the ordeal. He was admitted to the local hospital and is recuperating from his injuries.

Meanwhile, the community at Maniini held a mass meeting at the weekend, where crime was at the top of the agenda.

Representing the community policing forum, Mr Aluwani Matshitshi said criminals had taken over the village and did as they wished as they even threatened the leadership with death. "We have witnessed an upsurge of crime in this area, and it is good that the community has resolved to work with the police to root out all criminality in the area. We have many disused structures in the village which are now serving as havens for criminals. The sooner they are removed, the better our area will be," he said.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Major Mashudu Malelo said the police were investigating a case of armed robbery. "No one has been arrested so far, and we are appealing for those with information to please furnish it to the police, so that we can crack this case," he said.