Shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday night that the entjie sales ban would remain in place during Level 3 of the lockdown, thugs in Kraaifontein set a spaza shop alight and looted it.
The winkeltjie in Essenhout Street in Kleinbegin, Wallacedene, was set alight around 8.30pm and according to residents, it was done by mense who were angry about the cigarette ban.
Announcing that the country would scale down to Level 3 on 1 June, Ramaphosa said while dop would be allowed to be sold, the ban on cigarette sales would remain in place because smoking was deemed too big a risk for Covid-19, which mainly affects the lungs.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk says the circumstances surrounding the case of malicious damage to property is currently under investigation by Kraaifontein SAPS.
“According to reports on Sunday, 24 May, at around 8.30pm, the owner of a shop, selling furniture, clothing and plastics, discovered that his shop in Essenhout street, Kleinbegin, Kraaifontein, was alight,” says Van Wyk.
“No one was injured and the fire was extinguished by the Fire Brigade.
“Detectives are currently following up on all information to determine the cause of the fire.”
REMOVE: People raiding the Essenhout Street shop
Residents say the flames and smoke from the fire could be seen from far away.
A 50-year-old resident says shortly after Ramaphosa’s speech ended, they heard a loud bang.
“There’s quite a few spaza shops in First Avenue. We don’t know how the fire was caused.
“The shop sells paraffin heaters also, that may have caused the flames to spread faster.
“This morning laaities went to go look for scrap material there.”
Several boys and young men could be seen entering the shop and carrying away burnt items.
OPPORTUNISTIC: Scrap metal remains removed from the shop
Another resident says: “Luckily no one was inside the shop when the fire broke out.”
“We think it may have been skollies who tried to break into the spazas to look for entjies to steal. People are angry about the ban.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident is kindly requested to contact Kraaifontein SAPS on 021 980 5500.