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Mzansi TAVERNS in fear

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Peter Nkoana of Kwasa Grill in Soshanguve said he is worried the recent incidents will chase customers away.         Photo by Kgomotso Medupe
Peter Nkoana of Kwasa Grill in Soshanguve said he is worried the recent incidents will chase customers away. Photo by Kgomotso Medupe

ATTACKS on taverns in Soweto and Tshwane have caused fear among people.

Tavern owners around Orlando East in Soweto are concerned about their patrons’ safety, their businesses and themselves.

These worries are a result of the tavern massacre on Sunday, 10 July, which claimed the lives of 16 people.

So far, the shooting at Mdlalose’s Tavern in Nomzamo Section appears to have been a random act of criminality, which was one of the reasons tavern owners were sleeping with one eye open.

Yanga Mdelwa (26), who runs Tap House with his older brother, which was a few streets from Mdlalose’s Tavern, told Daily Sun they were still scared after the deadly shooting.

“We were scared and surprised. We decided to close and customers didn’t have a problem. We opened the next day, but we didn’t want customers to sit in. We sold on a take-away basis.”

He said they usually made more profit when they had customers in the tavern, but the recent incident had affected their business.

Yanga said although having bouncers added to their expenses, it was the only way they were going to keep their clients safe.

Sinah Msibi (61), who runs Sinah’s Place in Orlando East, echoed Yanga’s concerns. She said: “I am worried that these attacks will hurt our business.

“I am scared that even the law on how we operate might change.”

She said people were scared to go to taverns and the owners were also scared.

She believes she was lucky her place was a frequent chill spot for much older patrons who never got involved in fights.

The promise made by Police Minister Bheki Cele that the local police station would get more resources and that there would be increased police visibility was giving tavern owners hope.

In Tshwane, David Nkuna said they were shaken by the tavern deaths.

David, who owns Kwasa Grill in Soshanguve, north of Tshwane, said there had guards and bouncers who checked whether patrons were carrying weapons.

“There’s also police visibility in Soshanguve. But we are worried about the incidents that have been happening because people will be scared to visit taverns,” he told Daily Sun.

David said they didn’t sell alcohol to underage people and youngsters didn’t even go into their premises.

Joseph Nyabanga of Peter’s Place in Block H, also in Soshanguve, said: “I’m scared. This is also bad for the economy. We wish the government puts some laws into place that will protect tavern owners.”

The tavern owners are calling for more police visibility and hope the shooting sprees would stop.

Some told the People’s Paper they couldn’t put up cameras or beef up security at their establishments as they simply can’t afford it.

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