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The inside view of a spaza shop on Alexandra Road in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal during a joint compliance visit and inspection by Fidelity ADT and the SAPS on 14 November 2024.
About 64 spaza shops have been closed in Limpopo for non-compliance since the national registration drive was announced last month. So far, 5 300 registration forms have been issued before the deadline for spaza shops to register.
Owners of spaza outlets in Limpopo and elsewhere in the country are on a final push to have their businesses registered, as the 21-day deadline for spaza shop registration period set by President Cyril Ramaphosa looms.
Scores of spaza shop owners are still forming long queues at different municipalities in a bid to register their businesses.
Limpopo Economic Development Department spokesperson Zaid Kalla says Limpopo has issued 5 291 forms with 2 081 forms being considered by municipal licensing committees, however, they continue with raids throughout the entire process whereby 64 spaza shops were closed for noncompliance and other fined with corrective measures implemented just hours before business registration window comes to an end.
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Some say the period given for registration was too short. “It’s a problem. The due date to register is tomorrow. We are afraid. Owners are refusing to use their own names,” explains one person.
“We have a big challenge because of these owners, many of them don’t have proof of residence. We are struggling going up and down to fix this. Some of the owners are not staying around. We have a big problem, but we are pushing,” says another one.
“I am not worried because of my spaza. The way they are explaining to me here, I qualify. So which means I have to submit those documents so that when inspectors come, they will just come and approve it,” says a shop owner.
The Polokwane Municipality Spokesperson says they are still receiving applications but have not yet approved them.
Polokwane Municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala says, “Currently, we are still dealing with issues of capturing them and also assessing and we have not approved yet, any of the applications as yet and we are not only receiving applications for spaza shops. We are also receiving applications for street hawkers. We will continue to monitor the situation as and when they do apply but currently we are still assessing and receiving applications, we have not approved them as yet.”
Some unregistered spaza shop owners have requested that the deadline for registration be extended.
