City identifies cause of tension between local and foreign spaza shop traders

By Cindy Witten
13 June 2009

The City of Cape Town commissioned a study to identify the cause of tension between local and foreign spaza shop traders in Khayelitsha.

The City's Executive Director for Economic, Social Development and Tourism, Mansoor Mohammed says that xenophobia is not necessarily the cause of tension. He says that there is a lack of entrepreneurial skills amongst local spaza shop owners.

“Foreign traders, like Somalis for example, are far more superior in applying entrepreneurial skills and are therefore more superior,” said Mohammed.

He believes that the study will help to intensify the City’s business support programme, to help equip local traders to trade better and to become more competitive.

“We believe that the study will help us to focus more strategically in terms of local economic development and we hope to see results within the next six weeks.”