A rush to register spaza shop businesses as deadline looms

Spaza shop owners in Mpumalanga are rushing to municipal offices to register business before Friday’s closing date. This after President Cyril Ramaphosa mandated that all spaza shops and food businesses should be registered with their municipalities.

This was one of the government strategies to ensure compliance with food handling regulations, following incidents of food-borne illnesses that resulted in children’s deaths linked to products from these shops.

One of the spaza shop operators who was at the Mbombela municipality, Taerkeng Kabot, says he is happy the initial deadline was extended.

“It is not the first time I am coming here. I came first time to apply but I was delayed by my other businesses. I am here today to finish everything. But I was crying about the short period they gave us last time. So, the added days, I think is more than one month, two months. So, we have to finish today, I can go. I have to finish. I am thankful for the extension we were given; I am very happy,” says Kabot.

Meanwhile, the MEC for the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) in Mpumalanga, Speedy Mashilo says several spaza shop owners in the province have responded positively to the call to register.

“We have registered about 11,305 applications, and we have just approved over 5,000 applications so far. What is quite interesting is that majority of applications that we’ve received, almost 5,000 come from the foreign nationals. Now, the process as it is unfolding, we’ve just accepted or approved 3,406 applications. And the reason so that we don’t complete the process quick, we need a number of documents. You need to have a PTO or have a title deed of the building where you’re going to operate, you must have fully the issue of SARS compliance,” says Mashilo.