“We Are Tired”: Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie Laments Impact of Illegal Spazas, Vows Fightback

• Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has spoken out against illegal spaza shop ownership
• McKenzie bemoaned the businesses, often operated by illegal immigrants in townships and informal settlements
• As expected, the minister's talk sparked a frenzy on social media as local citizens added to the conversation

JOHANNESBURG — The rising incidents of food poisoning, widespread fake food products, and the oversaturation of foreign-owned spaza shops in townships and informal settlements have sparked a national conversation.

Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie joined in and vowed firmly to fight illegality.

Gayton McKenzie laments impact of illegal spazas

McKenzie expressed strong sentiments about illegal spaza shops, taking to his X account on Friday, 6 September, to put these on blast.

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His sentiments likely stemmed from, among other things, food poisonings attributed to snacks such as biscuits and potato chips, which have led to the recent deaths of four Gauteng children, marking 10 deaths since February.

It was linked to 207 food poisoning cases reported in Gauteng in the past nine months. McKenzie's aversion to illegal immigrants in South Africa is well-known, a position which has earned him an unenviable 'Afrophobe' tag.

He wrote on X:

"These illegal shop owners are feeding our people slow poison. First, they demolished local ownership, [and] now they are selling poisonous, illegally made products. I can assure South Africans that we are in the process of making sure the laws of South Africa [are] followed. We are tired."

Conversely, tensions reached a boiling point in White City, Soweto, in Johannesburg in August when residents took to the streets to close down foreign-owned spazas in response to the killing of a young girl.

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The minister's talk expectedly sparked a frenzy on social media as local citizens added to the conversation.

South Africans express polarising view

His post attracted almost 380,000 views, 10000 likes, 2100 reposts and 900 replies within 24 hours after McKenzie published it.

Briefly News looks at the highly-charged reactions.

@Setso_Johnnie wrote:

"There’s a place in Vaal [called] Bophelong. No foreigners own shops that side. We even forgot how it feels like having them around."

MikeyMashila said:

"Carrying the hopes of the nation. Lord Gayton."

@RK_Mayekisa added:

"Somalians, Pakistanis and all, have no reason to be in SA. No reason whatsoever!"

@custy_kgadi offered:

"The last time I checked, you are the Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Minister, not Home Affairs or Small Business."

Source: Briefly News