Seshego movement shuts 23 foreign-owned shops; 13 undocumented nationals detained, The Citizen reports

According to The Citizen, an anti-illegal foreigner movement in Seshego has led to the closure of 23 foreign national-owned shops and the detention of 13 undocumented foreign nationals.

Operation began on Sunday and continued into Monday

The action, which organisers say started on Sunday afternoon and continued into Monday as more residents joined, targeted shops that organisers described as being improperly documented.

Shops targeted and people detained

Twenty-three foreign national-owned shops in the township were closed as part of the campaign. Thirteen undocumented foreign nationals were taken in by police during the searches and are being kept at Seshego Police Station.

Focus and organisers’ statements

The activity was reported to be particularly focused on foreign-owned shops that draw customers from beyond the township’s borders. One of the activists leading the action, Chrishani Mafalo, shared a request for police intervention and called for law and order to be maintained during what organisers called a community gathering at Seshego Stadium.

“We understand that they know we are alert and expect them to either be properly documented or leave. But they are the ones selling us food with our children on the other hand. Hence, the resolution to begin with them. Our township businesses have closed down because they sell at extremely low prices,”

Mafalo also addressed landlords, saying:

“Owners of units they rent to such groups are the biggest problem in society and should take responsibility by ensuring that they are properly documented.”

Where detainees have been kept

Those taken in have reportedly been kept at the front of Seshego Police Station and at a popular food outlet in Seshego Zone 1.

Plans to expand

Organisers told The Citizen that the initiative will spill over to other parts of the Polokwane Municipality.

Police response

Seshego police spokesperson Sergeant Ali Maluleke was reported as saying there was not a large number of people sent to the station and that police were working to handle the presence of alleged undocumented foreign nationals.