Somali man killed and pregnant woman injured as foreigners clash in Spaza shops turf war

A simmering conflict among foreign-owned businesses in Delft has boiled over, leading to a fatal shooting and raising concerns about organized crime and extortion in the community.

On Monday evening, a 35-year-old Somali man was killed and a 30-year-old pregnant woman injured in a shooting at a shop in N2 Gateway. 

Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the incident, stating, “The circumstances surrounding a shooting incident in Aberdare Street… are under investigation.” 

The motive remains unclear, and the suspects are still at large.

Delft Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson, Reginald Maart, revealed that competition for customers and control over territories has fueled a turf war among foreign shop owners, particularly those of Ethiopian, Nigerian, and Somali descent. 

“They have their own mafia operating in the area,” Maart said, highlighting the emergence of criminal networks within these communities.

The CPF believes that this conflict has also contributed to a rise in extortion attempts.

Maart explained, “We got a problem where they pay gangsters to look after them and then it’s a ‘you can’t open (a shop) here because I’m here already’ type of situation.”

He added that some foreign shop owners are allegedly paying gangs to intimidate and prevent others from establishing businesses in the area.

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