Johannesburg - Soweto residents have been warned to be careful of scammers who are trying to take advantage of those trying to help the Defend Our Malls campaign.
This comes after one of the faces of the campaign, Nhlanhla Lux, said a fake Facebook account had been created in his name with the culprits asking people for money to drive the campaign to defend the last standing mall in Soweto, Maponya Mall.
Lux is part of a group called the Soweto Parliament, the group in a community organisation aiming to empower Soweto residents. Lux told the public not to send money to people on Facebook pretending to be him.
“We are a cashless organisation and we do not ask people for money. People should be aware of that. We initially thought I was hacked, but it seems they (scammers) have created fake accounts in my name asking for money,” he said.
Lux has been at the forefront of those defending Maponya Mall, keeping watch over the complex since the looting around Soweto started. He said he understood that he could be a target of criminal elements who have tried to penetrate Maponya Mall.
“I am not scared. We are already living on our knees in Soweto. We are used to the poverty and this poverty cannot be a norm.
“Already, in our poverty, people want to come and destroy the township infrastructure.
“When you take down a mall, thousands of people are losing their jobs,” Lux said.
He said he was shot at while defending Maponya Mall but that would not deter him from protecting community property and facilities.
“I am not going to die like a coward. We have been frustrated by colonisation, then apartheid. We come from mothers that have been struggling, now we are being frustrated by democracy. If my death comes, let it come. I’m not even interested in who is fighting who, but they must do it outside Soweto,” he said.
Lux, who has gained prominence for defending the Soweto malls, said he was not a member of any political party.
He said he was also responsible for the Soweto protest at Eskom’s Megawatt Park.
“There’s talk that I’m an EFF member because I am young and maybe they pick up the aggression, because when it comes to the problems of the township you must be aggressive.
“The problems of the township are aggressive, that is why you must approach them aggressively,” he said.
Lux, who is a pilot, said he was passionate about issues of equality and economic development.
The Star