Somali refugees face threats at Kurland

SOMALI spaza shop owners in Kurland Village near Plettenberg Bay fear for their lives after community members threatened to kill them if they did not close their businesses and move out of the area.

The incident turned into a fight outside one of the spaza shops on Wednesday night and caused division between the small township’s coloured and black communities.

Rashid Abdul, 26, and Hasan Barre, 34, arrived in South Africa as refugees from Somalia in 2004. Friends who lived in Plettenberg Bay township KwaNokathula had suggested they move to the Garden Route where it was peaceful, with new opportunities.

The pair rented a home and garage from Kurland Village resident Priscilla Bernardo and opened the shop in the village’s traditionally coloured area in the main road in August 2004.

A third Somali, Mohammed Shukri, 22, opened another spaza shop down the road, in the traditional black area of the village. All three men have refugee status in South Africa and have legal permits to be in the country.

“We never had any trouble until this week when a few men threatened to hurt us if we did not close shop and leave the village. They gave us 24 hours to move or we would regret it,” said Abdul.

The frightened trio spent most of Wednesday appealing for help from police and municipal officials, but returned home without hope.

Plettenberg Bay municipal manager Carl Mattheus said the municipality’s hands were tied as none of the shops was on municipal land.

“If they are legally in this country, these men have a right to fair trade like any citizen.”

Plettenberg Bay police unofficially confirmed that the men had reported the incident and had demanded protection. When the men returned home that night, about 100 people gathered outside the shops shouting abuse at the owners.

“We were very scared and took their warnings seriously. If it wasn’t for the coloured community, who stood up for us, we would have been in serious trouble,” Abdul said.

Police arrived at the scene and defused the situation, promising that meetings would be held to resolve the issues. However, the men say only political intervention by the town’s mayor will change their attackers’ minds.

The spaza shops were open again for business yesterday morning, but the men were concerned that trouble would again start at night.

Wayne Bernardo, son of the owner of the property on which Abdul and Bare operate, said the family liked the Somalis as they were sober-living, clean people who paid their rent on time.