Limpopo spaza shop owners lament 21-days registration deadline

Spaza shop owners in Seshego outside Polokwane in Limpopo have expressed concern following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent announcement requiring them to register within 21 days.

This move comes after cases of food-borne illnesses and deaths linked to spaza shops throughout the country.

Ramaphosa says all spaza shops and food-handling facilities must register with their respective municipalities.

He says any shop not registered within 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed.

Spaza shop owners Barso Dube and Mamotseke Mohlapamaswi says it’s not enough time.

“I can’t kill my customer. I’m for my customers. I’m with people. Maybe I have been here for 14 years but I am helping the community. When there are funerals, we are together at the funerals. If there are parties, we’re together at the parties,” he said.

He adds: ” 21 days is too small. We have to go through a lot of paperwork. There are some organisations that we need to register with. To get a trading license, you must go to a ward counselor. From there, you go to the municipality.”

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Meanwhile, residents in Seshego in Polokwane, Limpopo have expressed mixed feelings about the steps to regulate spaza shops.

“I think 21 days is a few days and I think that they must give them one year so that they can fix these things. They can’t close these shops, because we can’t go to town every day to buy things. I think the President was supposed to give illegal foreign spaza shop owners that 21-day ultimatum to return home because most of them are here illegally. Historically, we’ve bought from local-owned shops without issues of expired food or child fatalities.”