A white businesswoman who opened a fish and chips shop in the Du Noon township near Table View has had to shut down after opposition from local businesses and local residents.
Milnerton businesswoman Ilde Hugo, 30, rented space at the Du Noon taxi rank from the Du Noon Taxi Association (DTA) and ran the shop from a mobile container, but residents said the opening of the shop at the beginning of January had raised tensions because local business owners believed they would lose customers.
Tensions peaked on Wednesday last week when a crowd surrounded the container and forced the shop to close. Hugo said at least 40 people had surrounded her shop with placards on which slogans like "you must close down and go" were written.
She said she had worked in various townships for nine years and had not been threatened by the action. She said the disgruntled business owners had argued that they would not be allowed to trade in suburbs like Table View and Parklands.
She said the group who had stormed her shop did not represent the views of other Du Noon residents. "There were 40 people saying they represent the whole community, but there are thousands of people in Du Noon," she said.
At a meeting held on Monday in Du Noon to discuss the issue, a resident, who did not want to be named, said local businesses, backed by the community, were angry with the DTA because it had not consulted them about introducing a competitor at the rank.
The community member said business people had threatened retaliation by calling on rival taxi associations and Golden Arrow buses to operate in the area.
He said there were fears that if this happened there would be bloodshed in the township.
But DTA spokesperson Terrence Mhangatshoba scoffed at the concerns, which he said were driven by "jealousy and prejudice".
Mhangatshoba said the food offered by local business people at the taxi rank was "not good".
He said DTA needed different types of food at the rank and this was why they had asked Hugo to open a fish and chip shop.
"We liked her services. She came with a different thing. We were happy," he said.
Hugo said she had been told by the DTA that she could continue to operate on the premises.
She employed two permanent staff and did not sell the same products as other businesses. It was unclear if she would re-open the shop.- Cape Argus
No comments:
Post a Comment