KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has raised concern over gangs allegedly using spaza shops as a front for criminal activities.
Addressing MPs during a briefing to parliament’s portfolio committee on police on Wednesday, Mkhwanazi said law enforcement had identified a pattern of gang activity linked to some spaza shops.
“We have seen a lot of these gangs operating within spaza shops. The reality is it’s not because they are making money out of the spaza shops; it’s another method of justifying the means to get away with other illicit activities,” he said.
He questioned the sustainability of some businesses, saying unusually low prices suggested profits (from goods publicly sold) were not the primary motive.
“The selling at a price lower than what you would buy bread for at Shoprite does not justify making a profit,” he said.
Mkhwanazi said police would conduct further analysis before mobilising a dedicated investigation team.
Together with other police brass, they briefed MPs on gang-related violence and interventions to combat it.
Mkhwanazi, whose five-year contract as KZN police commissioner has recently been renewed, has also been deployed to lead a national crime-fighting project.
He said police in KwaZulu-Natal had made progress in curbing gang violence.
“Ordinarily in KZN we have always been troubled by one district, eThekwini, but we haven’t heard widespread gang issues in the province due to successful police operations that neutralised some of the most dangerous groups,” he said.
Mkhwanazi added that KwaZulu-Natal was currently in a relatively safer position compared to previous years and other provinces.
He also confirmed that police had visited Cape Town to assess interventions, including the potential role of the military, in addressing crime in the area.
TimesLIVE
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