South African-owned spaza shops in Durban townships increase bread prices

Bread prices have significantly increased in Durban townships after South African residents took over spaza shops previously run by foreign nationals. Residents report paying substantially more for essential items like bread, with prices rising due to higher operating costs for locally-owned businesses compared to foreign-owned ones that leveraged bulk buying. This situation follows anti-immigrant sentiment and a government fund launched in 2025 to support South African spaza shop ownership, though its rollout has been slower than expected.