In cold blood

Foreign spaza shop owner gunned down

Aforeign national was allegedly shot dead inside his spaza shop in Khayelitsha, Mlungisi, last Friday.

Mulugeta Gebremariam Ashebo, 33, from Ethiopia was found lifeless in a pool of blood at the entrance of his business premises at about 11pm.

His friend Teshome Joseph Fita believes it was an armed robbery as some items from the shop were missing. Fita said he was not at the premises when the incident occurred and had received a call from someone in Nomzamo who had informed him about the tragedy.

“We saw him lying there with three gunshot wounds in his stomach, but there were no signs of forced entry. I don’t know what could have happened because he always locked the gates. He sometimes closed very late and he was usually alone. There used to be guys with him at the shop, but they had gone to Durban about a week ago.”

Fita said there was a knife near Ashebo’s body and he believed he might have tried to defend himself from what seemed to have been an armed robbery.

“Shop items, including airtime cards, cigarettes, money and a cellphone were missing and could have been stolen. The sad part is that there are no cameras or alarm.”

He indicated the deceased had been running the shop for some time, but a crime of this nature was new to them and came as a shock.

A neighbour, who did not want to be identified, could not recall the time but said he was watching television when he heard three gunshots. “I looked out of my window and saw someone lying on the floor inside the shop. That’s when I called the police.”

The neighbour said law enforcement officials took about 20 minutes to arrive on the scene.

“I was shaken and scared to go outside. When I saw the police were there I came out of the house and watched from a distance.”

He said the shop owner normally closed late but had closed earlier than usual on the previous day.

“I am saddened because he

was a such a friendly person. Whoever did this must be found and brought to book. Nothing like this has ever happened in our area and it’s quite concerning.”

Another neighbour, Fezeka Mangele, said she was awoken by one of the neighbours around 11pm.

“We went to one of our neighbour’s yards as police were already on the scene. We heard screaming and were later told he was shot dead.”

Mangele said there were safety concerns regarding the late operation of the spaza shop and a tavern situated nearby.

“We do not want to fight with anyone, but the shop must close down permanently. We need to speak to the owner of the house because the safety of residents comes first.”

Nomzamo Neighbourhood Watch leader Andile Zondi condemned shops operating late at night.

“This issue was raised before and it is a problem. Foreign national shop owners must refrain from operating at night because they become easy targets and fall victim to robbery. This is now a warning to other shop owners.”

Police spokesperson Captain Namhla Mdleleni said police were investigating a case of murder after a 33-year-old man was allegedly found lying in front of his shop with bullet wounds to his body. Mdleleni did not want to give further details on the case due to ongoing investigations. She, however, indicated there were no signs of robbery.

“There is nothing indicating robbery. Other things are part of the investigation, but we will not dwell much on them. No arrests have been made,” she concluded

Ashebo will be laid to rest in Ethiopia this weekend.