Govt’s decision to register spaza shops is unfair: Nafcoc

Teams from SAPS Environmental Health, Consumer Rights and Fire and Disaster Management conduct health and safety inspections at local spaza in the Valley in the Eastern Cape on November 25, 2024.

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The National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) has described government’s decision to register spaza shops as unfair.

Yesterday was the last day to register spaza shops, as part of government’s response to address foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of children across the country.

Nafcoc Secretary-General Richard Zulu says the government should start engaging with affected communities in decision-making.

Zulu says, “It is now time for government to begin to engage with affected communities and businesses like Nafcoc to find solutions. So this thing of government decisions on issues that affect businesses and not engage with business people themselves, it’s a problem. In fact, it has created more problems than solving them. Very soon we’ll have a huge problem in our country.”

Soweto

The registration of spaza shops at the Jabulani Civic Centre in Soweto has been extended to today.

This comes after the centre ran out of application forms.

A spaza shop owner, who prefers to remain anonymous says, “I feel that South Africa is a very big population to be given 21 days. Every day when I came here it was like crowded, there was a lot of people that was here and we just had to turn around with no luck.”