‘Wild west’ at Gwanda’s Greenland tuckshops

Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief

BLOOD and guts have become a common sight at the Greenland tuckshops in Phakama suburb, Gwanda.

There, guns and blades are used unreservedly and lives are lost all too often.

The illegal tuckshops are said to harbour criminals who swoop on unsuspecting residents.

There, illicit drugs and alcohol are sold. It is also at Greenland where one will find butcheries that have no fridges and bits of animal hides are used to ward off flies.

Residents have had enough of the bloodshed and called on authorities to step in.

Ms Sibonginkosi Khumalo from Phakama said young people were becoming casualties of the violence at Greenland every month.

“It pains us because the people who are dying are our children who are supposed to look after us in our old age. We don’t know what to do about Greenland anymore but we’ve buried enough of our children,” said Ms Khumalo.

She called on the local authority to look into arresting the problem as the tuckshops that are said to be harbouring criminals continue to mushroom.

“Not a month goes by without someone dying there. As we speak, the month has not even ended and already two people have died so far,” said Ms Khumalo.

The Greenland tuckshops have been Christened the “Taliban State” due to the fighting and bloodshed that happens there.

With an estimated core of up to 60 000 fighters, the Taliban remains the most vigorous insurgent group in Afghanistan and holds sway over civilians near its strongholds in the country’s south and east.

Mr Mongezi Moyo from Phakama suburb said it is now scary walking in the Greenland area as chances of being stabbed and robbed are high.

“The shops are about a metre apart and there are always people in those small gaps. It’s easy to become a target. The best thing is to have those shops closed,” said Mr Moyo.

Another resident, Ms Sarah Ncube said the place was noisy and a lot of men had patronised it.

“Our men go there to drink and only come back home in the early hours of the morning. It is sometimes during these beer drinks that fights break out and someone ends up dying. The place is so noisy and we’re tired of it,” said Ms Ncube.

One of the shop owners who spoke on condition of anonymity said they put up the structures through hard work.

“We’ve been operating from here for a while now. We’ve tried to engage the council on giving us licences to operate legally to no avail. It will be unfair for them to push us out because our lives depend on these businesses,” said the shop owner.

Through his shop, he said, he had managed to keep his family afloat and send his children to school.

“If residents say Greenland must be closed, what will happen to our families who depend on us? Some of us are breadwinners and this is our sole source of income. It’s not all of us that are at fault when it comes to the criminal activities around here,” he said.

Gwanda Mayor Councillor Njabulo Siziba said the local authority had resolved to shut down Greenland.

“As councillors, we’ve agreed to give the people operating there a notice of seven days and then have the place closed down. We’ll interpret to them the position of council and engage the police if necessary. Our target is to have the place closed down, wholly. As we do this, we’ll follow the country’s statutes and be guided accordingly,” said Clr Siziba.

He said the place has many challenges apart from the criminal activities.

“There are people who have encroached outside the stand. There are people who have built their structures just beneath power lines. There are people who have built on a wetland,” said Clr Siziba.

He said there was need to regularise the businesses operating there before they can be allowed to resume operations.

“People running genuine businesses there should approach the council and they will be issued with leases. Currently, not even a single person operating there has a liquor licence. We want to shut down the place and ensure that no blood is spilled there, no drugs are sold there and no alcohol is sold there illegally,” said Clr Siziba. – @Yolisswa

Article Source: The Chronicle