The South African supermarket chain Shoprite has definitively closed its establishment located in the village of Macia, Gaza province, in southern Mozambique, following looting during the post-election protests called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.
‘ Shoprite Mozambique has definitively closed its branch in Macia, in the district of Bilene, because it was vandalised and destroyed by demonstrators,’ the company said in a statement.
The organisation, which has almost 30 shops in Mozambique, said that the shop was vandalised on 24 December, leaving more than 52 people unemployed.
According to the local authorities, at least 16 commercial establishments were vandalised and looted during the demonstrations, seven of which have closed down in whole or in part in the Bilene district.
‘The ones that have submitted definitive closure documents are these two, Shoprite and Pep. We have five others that have announced partial closures,’ said Gracinda Carlos, director of the Economic Activities Services.
In November, Shoprite temporarily closed commercial spaces in Maputo and ‘other high-risk areas’ after two shops were robbed and vandalised.
Since October, at least 327 people have died and 750 have been shot during the protests, according to data from the Decide electoral platform, a non-governmental organisation that monitors electoral processes.
