More than 70% of business robberies were committed against foreign-owned businesses, says Community Safety MEC Dan Plato.
|||Cape Town - More than 70 percent of business robberies were committed against foreign-owned businesses, according to Community Safety MEC Dan Plato.
Plato was addressing growing concerns at a meeting between the police and the Chinese business community in Milnerton on Thursday.
“There has been a notable spike in business robberies in the Western Cape, specifically Cape Town. This has not affected Chinese communities alone - it has also affected other foreigners like Somalian and Pakistani shops,” said Plato.
The meeting follows a robbery in Milnerton a week ago, the fifth targeting a Chinese-owned business in the province since January. The six robbers allegedly included two policemen. The officers have been arrested and suspended.
One of the victims said he was still “traumatised” by the incident, which occurred last Thursday.
Speaking with the help of a translator, the man, who gave his name only as Yan, 33, said he was struggling to trust anyone, including the police: “The people I trusted turned around and stabbed me in the back and robbed me.”
Quan Jiawei, a shop owner robbed last Saturday, believed the robberies were an inside job: “The robbers knew where everything was and where to find everything. I don’t think the police can help us here.”
Zhang John, vice-chairperson of the Chinese business community, said the community had lost confidence that their businesses were safe.
Deputy provincial commissioner Major-General Peter Jacobs said the foreign businesses were not targeted because the owners were foreigners, but because the owners had money on the premises. Other reasons were that most owners lived on the premises and because most foreign owners followed a specific routine.
“If we look at the amount of money being taken, we see amounts in excess of R400 000 were stolen.”
Plato and Jacobs encouraged business owners to deposit their takings in the banks, and to use cash-in-transit vehicles to get their money there.
The minister was reluctant to reveal other safety tips in the open meeting and called for a closed dialogue with the businesses to discuss further safety details.
sibusisiwe.lwandle@inl.co.za
Cape Argus