Operation Dudula to picket over foreign-owned spaza shops in Soweto

Members of Operation Dudula are expected to picket in Soweto today against the registration of foreign-owned spaza shops.

This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that all spaza shops will be given 21 days in which to register their businesses with their respective municipalities.

Ramaphosa’s announcement comes amid growing concerns over food safety and the sale of expired, contaminated and counterfeit goods at some spaza shops.

This follows a spate of food poisoning incidents that have resulted in the deaths of 22 children so far.

Operation Dudula’s president, Zandile Dabula, says they will picket outside the Urban Ubuntu Council.

Dabula says, “We are very disappointed because when we thought that our President would be declaring a state of emergency when it comes to immigration then he decides to give people who have broken the law already, a chance to go and correct their wrong.”

“So why are they not shutting them down? I mean he was so quick to say that all the informal traders that are trading at schools need to move and no longer trade there. But why is he not doing the same thing with these foreign-owned spaza shops in and around our townships?” she adds.

PODCAST: Interview with Dabula on SA FM’s First Take Programme:

Business permits

Leaders of social movements have accused government of flouting the law regarding business permits for foreign nationals.

According to the Immigration Act, foreigners can apply for a business permit.

Chairperson of Inwooners Baagi Civic Movement, David Ratladi says they have a way forward regarding unregistered spaza shops and trading restrictions for local vendors.

This follows growing concerns over people being admitted to hospital and in some cases dying after consuming contaminated food believed to have been bought from some spaza shops.

Ratladi says they are going to write a petition to the station commander to find ways of addressing the local tuck shops.

Members of the public have mixed reactions to government’s response to the increase in incidents of people being admitted to hospital and in some cases dying after eating contaminated food.

Some Pretoria residents say they are not impressed. One resident says, ” As citizens, we are aggrieved. We are not sure if this President is for us or for the foreigners.”

eThekwini

The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal says its data shows that most spaza shops in the area are not registered in the names of owners.

eThekwini’s Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni says, “The challenge that we have identified is that a number of in our records who are written as owners are not the real owners of these shops. Hence, we have started another new way to say we are trying to collect the data because at the end of the day, we cannot have people who are written as the owners of business yet the owner is a foreign national.”

Some spaza shop owners in the eThekwini Metro in KwaZulu-Natal have welcomed government’s response.

Zinhle Sithole says she fully supports the announcement but believes that the deadline is not realistic.

Sithole says, “The registration of tuck shops and spaza shops is a good thing and it may be bad for now but in the future is good, but I think 21 days is not enough as we have to get more information about the registration of these businesses.”

“What I like about my business is that I always order from the recognised retailers because it helps a lot especially if you get the product which is in good quality.”-Additional reporting by Khalesakhe Mbhense and Monique Lewis.

VIDEO | Spaza owners support registration but seek extension on 21-day deadline: