Why we pay ‘Boko Haram’ R400 a month
● Spaza shop owners say they fear and trust extortion gang more than cops ● ‘Former’ member claims group is just an NGO
The name Boko Haram strikes much fear among businessmen and foreign shop owners in Mamelodi township, east of Pretoria, where the vigilante group has wreaked havoc for more than two years.
Boko Haram is the name that has been adopted by a group of more than a dozen men who extort money mainly from foreigner tuckshop owners.
The group has been collecting money, including protection fees of R300 and upwards, depending on the size of the shop, from foreign nationals who own tuck shops across the township since 2018.
Sowetan spoke to three foreign shop owners who are victims of Boko Haram extortion. They insisted on their names and their shops not being mentioned for fear of repercussions.
They showed Sowetan handwritten receipts they had received from the group dating back to September 2018 showing that they pay sums ranging between R300 and R400.
One of the leaders of the Boko Haram gang had agreed to an interview with Sowetan on Friday but following the arrest of one of the group’s members, the man postponed the interview to Saturday but his phone has rung unanswered ever since.
A former member of the group who spoke to Sowetan on condition of anonymity said they carried guns to threaten foreign shop owners who refused to pay the “protection fee.”
“When a shop owner didn’t want to pay, we would take out our guns, point [them] at him and he would pay,” the man said.
The man, who is in his 30s, claimed to have left the group in December. He said many of the guns they carried were unlicensed and were bought on the streets.
“The money we collected, we didn’t take it to the bank, instead we would put it in a safe and share among ourselves,” he said.
He said they chose the name Boko Haram because they wanted a name that would put fear into the hearts of locals and business owners. The name originally belongs to a Nigerian insurgent group notorious for terror acts against communities in the northeastern regions of that country.
A member of the group that operates in Mamelodi claimed they were misunderstood as they were a nongovernmental organisation that puts the interests of the community first.
He said the group had registered as Community First Foundation, NGO aimed at assisting struggling families, especially during funerals.
He said they started collecting R300 from spaza shop owners to contribute towards the funds they used to help vulnerable families.
“Ever since we started collecting money, imposters stepped forward and pretended to be u... the money we collect is for the community,” the man claimed.
He claimed that a split two years ago had led to the creation of a separate group in Mamelodi East which also used the same name. He claimed they chose the name Boko Haram on the streets to make the community respect and take them seriously.
The man confirmed that they also collected money from business people who benefit from tenders, mainly in construction.
“If a company refused to give us money, we mobilised the community and we would stop that project until they gave us what we want,” the man said.
A shop owner from Pakistan, who operates from Nellmapius, said he was giving the group R400 a month because he did not have a choice.
“The gang just instructs us, they don’t even talk to us properly; they just shout at us,” he said.
The shop owner said when the group entered his shop, his business halted temporarily as customers were told to leave. He said he feared them.
Another tuck shop owner from Sudan said he understood the group’s vision and believed that he was also paying for his shop’s protection.
“Since the gang started collecting money at my shop, I also receive protection as well,” he said.
The shop owner said when criminals try to rob him, he calls Boko Haram, which he says responds quicker than the police to foil robberies.
“Since I’m under their protection my shop had not experienced any robbery and I’m happy to pay the fees because the police are failing to help us foreign tuck shop owners.”