'We don't want you here'
July 04, 2004 Edition 1
Melanie Peters
Racism has reared its head in Nyanga in Cape Town where black business people have ordered two Indian businessmen to close their grocery shop by Tuesday - or face the consequences.
Salim Moosa and his brother-in-law, Shaheem Kadwa, signed a two-year lease to run Sondemase Cash Store in Emms Road and have been trading for the past three months.
But this has enraged local business people who want them out of the area next week.
Moosa said he and Kadwa had received a number of threats and even had five men walk into the store while they were not there, threatening the staff. He said one businessman told them that Indians had no place there. They told them to go back to Rylands, a predominantly Indian area.
"We've been told they don't want Indians here because we sell things too cheaply and we will put them out of business. They also told us that Mandela is an old man who doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to tolerance and unity."
Certain businessmen in the area even wanted to dictate to Moosa and Kadwa what type of business they should run.
Moosa said after five men walked into the store and demanded it be closed, a meeting was called with other businesses in the area to try to resolve the issue. At the meeting they were told they could stay if they sold wholesale goods in bulk. "But this is a free country; this has always been a grocery store. Why can't we sell what we like?"
Moosa said some of the businessmen also approached the elderly owner of the building, David Sondemase, wanting to know how he could let Indians into the area.
One black businessman said many business people in the area were not happy that Indians had moved in. "We believe that these people will lower the prices to rates that we cannot compete with and force us to close."
He said Indians had a lot of buying power and always managed to wangle good deals. "We told them they could stay if they co-operated with us and ran a wholesale store selling in bulk to hawkers and spaza shops."
Now they were doing both - selling wholesale goods and retail groceries. "They are trying to shut us down."
Another businessman said they felt they should all be working together. Businesses had always worked together and agreed on prices. The most they made was 20% profit. "But these guys are operating at very low profits. If we go out of business many employees will lose their jobs and families will go hungry."
"If you think we are being unreasonable not wanting Indians here, just think how difficult it would be for a black man to open a business in Rylands."
