Where are locals' spazas?

Protest takes many strange forms in South Africa but the recent Sharpeville upheaval warrants some introspection. If one takes issue with foreign nationals running shops in one's area, how does looting and consuming or looting and burning help?

- Richard Chemaly

Anybody could tell you for free and a chappie that we're not in short supply of foreign nationals. If these protests happen every couple of years, it still makes commercial sense for these shops to keep opening. Desperate people do weird things, even in the face of danger. Why else would people keep rebuilding their houses in Tornado Alley?

So, either the looting protest needs to become more frequent to really disincentivise foreign nationals from opening up shop or these protestors need a better plan. I'm not for xenophobia but if you're going to make a meal of foreign-owned stores while you're looting them, you may as well take the stuff to stock your own shop. If you're already stealing it, it's not a significant stretch to sell it from your own store.