South African shops boycotted as Shoprite, Game and PEP outlets remain closed

Popular South African retail stores, Shoprite, PEP and Game have remained closed in Malawi following calls to boycott South African owned stores in the country.

BBC reports that in the commercial capital, Blantyre, armed police guarded several leading South African chain stores.

According to consumer activist John Kapito, in the capital Lilongwe, the aim of the boycott was "to send a symbolic message".

According to him,

"South Africans cannot chase us from their countries and expect us to help them grow their economy by patronising their shops and goods"

No fewer than 7 people were killed in the recent wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa while over 5,000 were left homless.

Currently, about 390 Malawians have already been repatriated from South Africa, with a further 500 expected to arrive later.

In the same vein, 8 Nigerians have expressed interest in returning back home following the xenophobic attacks in  South Africa.