An eerie calm hung on Thursday over Zwide after a foreign-owned shop was set alight, the incident believed to have been linked to Wednesday’s unrest in Korsten.
No buses travelled along the main access routes into New Brighton and Zwide, and the few taxis along the same routes travelled in pairs.
At the Moonlight Shop in Konga Street, Zwide, neighbours were helping a homeowner clear the debris from the gutted shop.
The homeowner, who did not want to be named, said she rented her garage, which had been converted into the shop, to a Ethiopian.
Two taxis had driven past the house at about 8.30pm, she said.
“They stopped on the nearby street corner and two men got out.”
Another bystander said the men had approached the shop as if they wanted to buy something.
“Then one of them pulled out a petrol bomb and threw it inside the shop.
“They ran back to their taxi, and both taxis sped off.
“The shop burnt very quickly. Before we knew it everything was on fire.
“The shop owner allegedly fled and has not been seen since.”
An elderly woman living with the homeowner was quickly taken to neighbours as she suffers from asthma.
No injuries were reported.
Konga Street residents were reluctant to share information about the incident.
They said the street was usually a hive of activity for taxis, but they had seen very few pass through the street on Thursday morning.
HeraldLIVE