Small markets are an important part of South Africa's economy, these businesses offer jobs in a country with unemployment rate of at least 25 percent. But immigrant-owned and international businesses are increasing their share of South African markets, that has hurt local traders who run little shops called spazas. 小市场是南非经济的重要组成部分，这些企业为南非提供了就业机会，该国失业率至少达到了25%。但移民拥有的企业以及国际企业正扩大其在南非市场上所占的份额，这已经伤害到了经营小商店的当地商人，这种小商店被称为spaza。

John Stheole has owned his spaza for more than ten years. It is a small grey building in Dube village, in the Soweto area of the capital Johannesburg. His small store offers many kinds of goods from soap to sweets. John Stheole经营他的Spaza已经十来年。这是南非首都约翰内斯堡市索韦托区杜贝村的一栋灰色小建筑。他的小商店提供了从肥皂到甜食的各种商品。

Spaza means "just getting buy". The shops are found in non-white communities where larger, more official stores are not available or are too costly. There are about 100,000 spazas in South Africa, they employ 290,000 people. But few have paid attention to the part these stores can play in creating jobs. Spaza意思是便利店。这些商店位于非白人社区，这些地区没有更大更正式的商店，或者那些商店价钱太贵。南非有10万家这种便利店，它们雇佣了29万人。但很少有人注意到这些小店在提供就业机会上发挥的作用。

Research shows that what is called the informal sector in Africa is very large. Informal workers can be self-employed or wage earners. Last year, the African Development Bank said the informal sector provides about 55 percent of the economic productivity of African countries south of the Sahara desert. 研究表明，非洲所谓的非正式行业的规模很大。非正式员工包括自雇者和打工者。去年，非洲开发银行表示，非正式行业占到了撒哈拉以南非洲国家经济活动的55%。

But business has been slow for Mr Stheole. He is competing with a nearby store run by a family from Pakistan. 但Stheole先生的生意进展一直很缓慢。他在和附近一家巴基斯坦家庭经营的商店竞争。

"Last year, I am struggling...," said Stheole. 他说，“去年，我在挣扎。。。”

South Africa is the only country in the area where refugees and asylum-seekers can move freely, and have the right to work. South Africa is the only hope of living and working in peace for people who have fled countries like Somalia and Zimbabwe. 南非是该地区唯一一个难民和寻求庇护者可以自由迁徙并有权工作的国家。南非是逃离索马里和津巴布韦等国家的人们平静生活和工作的唯一希望。

But reduced profits for native traders and high unemployment rates have caused tensions in the country. Immigrants are accused of taking jobs from South Africans. Some also believe immigrants hurt South African shopkeepers by selling goods at lower prices. In September, more than 100 Somali-owned spazas were attacked during four days of unrest in the city of Port Elizabeth. 但本地商人利润降低以及高失业率已经在南非引发了紧张局势。移民们被指夺走了南非人的工作机会。有人还认为，移民以较低价格销售商品伤害了南非的店主。去年9月，伊丽莎白市有100多家索马里人拥有的便利店在为期4天的骚乱中遭到袭击。

The South Africa Spaza and Tuckshop Association (SASTA) is seeking to train local traders to build skills. Rose Nkosi is president of the association. She says local spazas offer the community credit and 24-hour service, that is something their competitors do not. 南非便利店和食品店协会正寻求培训当地商人建立他们的技能。罗斯·恩科西（Rose Nkosi）是该协会的会长。她说，当地便利店为社区提供信誉和24小时服务，这是他们的竞争对手所没有的。

And that is the Economics Report from VOA Learning English. I'm Mario Ritter. 以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语经济报道的全部内容，我是马里奥·理特（Mario Ritter）。