Sol Phenduka Demands Action From Gauteng MEC After Alex Spaza Shop Owner's Helpers Are Shot
- A distressed Alexandra woman shared a video revealing her spaza shop helpers were shot, and her store was later broken into and looted
- Sol Phenduka shared the clip, tagging Gauteng MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgop and asking if she could intervene
- Netizens flooded the post with frustration, alleging that authorities are aware of the situation but choose to do nothing
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Source: UGC
Radio personality Sol Phenduka used his platform to amplify the story of a distressed Alexandra spaza shop owner, tagging Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Vuyiswa Ramokgop and demanding she take action. The post has since drawn a wave of responses from netizens who say government officials are well aware of township business threats but consistently fail to act.
In the video, 38-year-old Dimaktso Ndlovu, who describes herself as born and bred in Alexandra, recounts a harrowing two weeks since launching her spaza shop. On the night her helpers were installing fixtures, armed intruders shot them inside the store. A suspect described as an Ethiopian national was subsequently arrested, and the case remains before the courts.
Alexandra Spaza shop targeted twice in days
The violence did not end there. Ndlovu says a foreign national opened a competing shop nearby shortly after she launched hers. The day after the competitor's shop was open for business, her own store was broken into. Thieves ransacked the premises, stripped shelves bare, destroyed her property, and even made off with her CCTV camera, leaving her with nothing to show investigators. A visibly emotional Ndlovu ends the clip with a question that cuts to the bone:
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"Am I not allowed to have a shop in this place? Am I not allowed?"
The video was filmed inside the shop itself, a close-up smartphone recording surrounded by shelving, refrigerators, and stacked goods, bringing viewers directly into the gutted space.
Sol Phenduka calls on MEC to step in
Phenduka shared the clip on X on Thursday, 12 November 2026, with a pointed message directed at the MEC.
"Hi @VuyiswaRamokgop, as Gauteng MEC for economic development and a female entrepreneur, have you seen this? It's happening a lot in townships. Are you able to intervene?"
See the post below:
The post drew hundreds of responses, many echoing deep scepticism that authorities will act. Below is a selection of reactions:
@TolomSiphe wrote:
"Sol our Sol! I love how you always use your platform for the greater good 🙏🏿🙏🏿"
@Consumer_96 said:
"Politicians are cowards, Sol. They always wish that their respective portfolios could just function without chaos, without the public raising frustrations against them. These kinds of treatment & threats happen all the time, but the authority doesn't intervene."
@AliTheOnlyDon said:
"They are aware, Sol; they are also aware of protection fees or extortion...they won't intervene because they take bribe money from these people at a high level. These people are on X; they see these stories all the time, and they have the power to change the situation, but they won't."
@Generaloeg5 added:
"Our main problem in South Africa is the ANC government 🤞"
Sol Phenduka reacts after father shoots hijackers
Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Sol Phenduka reacted to a video of a father shooting and killing hijackers who ambushed him while he was leaving his yard late at night with his two children.
A viral dashcam video captured the armed men rushing out of their vehicle, with footage showing the attack from two angles.
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Source: Briefly News
