Black businessmen in Hartbeespoort in the North West are fearing for their lives after simmering racial tensions have been on the rise in the area following what seems to be business rivalry.
Previously The Star reported that a racial war had been on the rise after white people had been accused of attempting to drive out black business people following the burning of two black entrepreneurs properties in one month.
The predominantly white area, known for its vibrant tourism and entertainment opportunities, has historically been dominated by white residents.
Recently, an influx of Black business owners has led to significant racial tensions and confrontations.
Besides the burning down of their properties and intimidation, black businessmen are now fearing for their lives since spring has come and the area is expected to be a hive of activities.
Even after death threats and his business engulfed in flames, the owner of Bubbles, Thabiso Mathibedi, said that despite his fears, he was not going anywhere.
“When I started this business and building the now burnt Bubbles. I was taken to court by the white racist community because they didn’t want me to have a business there just for the fact that I was black,” he said.
Speaking to The Star on Monday, owner of Legacy on the Dam, Hartley Ngoato, a resort that has thrived over the years, narrated his ordeal, saying he is not fearing only that they would burn down his property but also for his life.
“My fear is not limited to fire. A CEO wrote to the estate that they are going to apply a much more aggressive strategy to shut down Legacy.
“Like I told you before, there was a meeting two weeks before the burning of those properties by white people who are trying to destroy Legacy… I have now heard it from other white people who are saying the days of Legacy and me are numbered,” he said.
Ngoato, who was racially attacked in 2018, being brutally beaten by a gang of white men, said when he moved to Hartbeespoort, he was approached by white people to let him know that he could not set up business there because he was black.
“They said I could not have a business here because what if I would create a squatter camp. They were saying that the value of their houses was going to go down because they have a black man as a neighbour.
“Right now between me and them there are three fences. There is a wall, a palisade fence and a net because when people come into my yard they take pictures of them and after taking pictures they then put it on social media and start insulting them.
“The reason why I built a net is because of an incident that happened when black ladies came into my yard thinking it was a boat party yard and started changing. When they were changing they took pictures of them and said to me "look at how your monkey sisters are behaving,” he said.
He added that tensions increased further when he constructed nets to shield his guests, which obstructed his neighbours’ view of the dam.
“As a black proud man I cannot accept that people are called monkeys. Because I had given them a view of the dam through my yard and decided to close it with nets so that they don’t take pictures of people in my yard. But that only aggravated the situation more. Because their properties no longer have the view of the dam and I’m told they have lost value as a result and because of that they have since declared a war to destroy Legacy so that I move.
“When that happens they will drop down the net and their houses will go back to the market that they want… So they have promised to fight me tooth and nail until they get what they want… This is self inflicted, had they not called me a baboon, had they not called my customers monkeys I would have not built the net… But then again that entitlement is not correct because they got the view by default,” Ngoato said.
He said the Department of Water and Sanitation, which owns the land, was unfortunately run by white people and was not fair to them because the whites in the area had been given an open-end buy.
The department’s head of communications, Mandla Mathebula, did not respond to questions as his phone was off for most of the day yesterday.
“The reason why there is such a fight is that white people have been occupying government land for as long as 40 to 50 years and not paying any rent. We then applied to the department to be treated the same way as white people and we were given permission to occupy subject to us having to be given final documents as a lease document. Ever since that happened two years ago the department has not given us leases to finalise our occupation of the land,” he said.
Since last week, attempts to contact the Kosmos Village Association, which is reportedly at the centre of the tensions, were unsuccessful.
However, in a petition to the department, it state: “As concerned residents of Caribbean Beach Club, I wish to address the persistent disturbances caused by loud music and parties at Legacy on the Dam Resort, situated at 151A Simon Bekker Street, Kosmos, Hartbeespoort Dam, North-West, 0216. I am deeply troubled by the realisation that these disturbances not only disrupt the peace and tranquillity of the residential community but have tragically led to an incident resulting in a fatality.”
The Star