I wish all traditional leaders were like him. Mong mabu 🙏🏾. Marishane, Mamone, Masemola, Jane Furse, Mohlaletse, Manoge and all other places in Sekhukhune, what are you waiting for?
KGOSHI PHAAHLA ORDERS FOREIGN SHOP OWNERS TO LEAVE GA-PHAAHLA VILLAGE
Ga-Phaahla Village in Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality (MLM) in Limpopo, was plunged into controversy last week after Kgoshi Letsiri Phaahla, traditional leader of Ga-Phaahla, ordered foreign nationals operating shops in the village to vacate with immediate effect.
The operation took place on Friday 9 October 2026. On his Facebook page, Kgoshi Phaahla posted a night-time video showing vehicles loaded with goods, indicating that the departure of the shop owners was in progress.
The removal was reportedly executed by the traditional leader together with community members.
Kgoshi Phaahla told the publication that he had called a community meeting at his royal kraal after the foreign shop owners allegedly defied his order to leave by 30 September. He claimed almost half the community attended and resolved that the shop owners must be removed by force.
"The community visited all the shops and ordered the tenants to pack their stocks and get out of the village," Phaahla said.
He further alleged that the foreigners called private security who threatened to shoot community members.
Phaahla said the operation would continue as hardware shops with building materials would need up to three days to move their stock.
"This was not a March and March event but a community initiative, also in defiance response to the constitutional judgment that allowed illegal foreigners to stay in our country illegally," he said.
The removal follows another formal ultimatum issued by Kgoshi Phaahla in August 2026, in which he gave all undocumented foreign nationals in his jurisdiction until 31 August 2026 to leave the village, which was extended to 30 September 2026.
Phaahla said the decision was part of ongoing countrywide demonstrations against the influx of undocumented immigrants, following incidents of food poisoning linked to spaza shops and broader concerns about undocumented immigration.
He stated that community members had complained that foreign nationals were trading without valid documents, selling expired goods, and operating on community-owned farmland without proper lease agreements.
He further claimed that although some of those removed had documents, including the Bangladeshi nationals who he said had South African IDs after being naturalized, they were still ordered to leave.
"Papers or no papers they must leave our land because I did not give any of them any permission to trade on my villages," he said.
This is not the first time Ga-Phaahla has made national headlines over foreign shop owners.
In September 2019, Kgoshi Phaahla instructed foreign-owned tuck shop owners to vacate the village, citing complaints from residents that some businesses were selling expired food and counterfeit products.
During that incident, he issued written notices giving at least six foreign shopkeepers seven days to leave, followed by a verbal notice through his council giving them one additional day to pack up.
#PolokwaneWeekly
It’s time to make us swallow our words and prove us wrong. Here’s a South African woman in need of assistance from your departments @DSBD_SA@sedfa_dsbd@NYDARSA@LimpopoLEDET
This is what a refugee camp is supposed to look like. Refugees are meant to be kept in camps like this, not given papers to integrate into our communities, open businesses, and collect grants.
South Africa is too kind. 💔🇿🇦
The Constitutional Court just set the precedent for you to argue late submission SARS fines on the premise that you forgot to click the submit button. 🤷♂️