‘Registration deadline applies to existing spaza shop owners’

The Township Economic Commission says yesterday’s registration deadline does not affect people intending to open new food outlets and spaza shops.

President Cyril Ramaphosa had ordered the registration in November last year in response to issues of food safety after at least 20 people died.

The Commission’s President, Bheki Twala, says the deadline only applies to owners of existing shops.

Twala says, “It simply means as well, if you want to start a spaza shop, let’s say from Monday, you can then start that process, you finish the process, then you open. Meaning in other words, you won’t open this spaza shop before you then complete the process if it’s a new spaza shop.”

“The whole registration is for those that are operating currently without permits, without the trade permit, without having the COA, the Certificate of Acceptability, without also having the documents that are needed in terms of food handling to make sure that our consumers are protected.”

PODCAST | Interview with Twala on SAfm’s The Weekend View programme on spaza shop registration deadline: