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Business owner Yakub Patel assesses the damage caused by the fire.

Young businessman loses millions to arson

 

In what is believed to be part of the continuous total shutdown and protests by Vuwani people, which have left several schools and private properties burnt, more fresh casualties were reported in the Mashau area when two businesses were burnt to the ground.

The incidents, which happened minutes apart, occurred last Monday morning not too long after midnight. Millions of rands of damage in the two businesses, a hardware store and a supermarket, was caused during the fires.

First to be attacked was Mashau Hardware, owned by young Thohoyandou-based businessman Mr Shoeb Ahmed. Ahmed was hard hit as the new store he opened in July this year went up in smoke, with all the stock amounting to millions of rands.

Mr Morris Chabalala, a security guard at the business, said he was at work at around 12:45 on Monday morning when a group overpowered him and robbed him of his cash, wallet, handcuffs and cell phone before torching the business.

"After they had left I managed to free myself and sought help with neighbours and then notified my bosses," he said.

The 28-year-old businessman said he was at home in Thohoyandou when he received a call at around 1:30 am from the security company that he hired to guard the business. "I rushed there and the whole shop was on fire. Police and firefighters arrived a short while later, but the fire consumed the whole building, including all the stock."

He said that he had lost everything and the damage was worth millions. “What worries me most is that we have a good working relationship with the community. If there was something wrong that I am doing, we could’ve we sat down and discussed it.”

He added that he was part of the community.  “To show that I am one of them, I even dug a borehole here, so that the community could get water," he said.

Fortunately, Ahmed might soon have his business up and running again as he is insured.

Another casualty, Mr Yakub Patel (45) of Thenga Supermarket and mini hardware, said he had suffered losses of more than R400 000.

"I am devastated and confused. I started this business not long ago, and the stock I had was on credit. The worst part of it is that I am not insured.”

The two incidents were strongly condemned by Mashau senior traditional leader Thovhele Vho-Thavha Ronald Mashau. "This is anti-development. We rely on the services offered by these people. Many of our subjects gained employment at these businesses. This is an act of criminality, because our people were told not to touch properties while protesting,” he added.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed the case and said they had opened an arson case.

"It is still early to speak of a link between the fire and the protests at Vuwani. There are many speculations about the fires and only our investigations will reveal the real motive behind the burnings. No one has been arrested so far and investigations are ongoing," he said.

News - Date: 22 September 2017

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Mashau Hardware where millions of rands in damage was caused when the shop was set alight. Owner Shoeb Ahmed and security guard Morris Chabalala are at the scene of the fire.

 

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Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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