Government at war with spaza shops following food poisoning incidents

Ntshavheni revealed that the Cabinet has fully endorsed the decisions made at an International Migration Workshop hosted by the Home Affairs Department.

During a media briefing in Pretoria yesterday, Ntshavheni emphasised the urgent need for the implementation of effective by-laws to address the challenges faced by municipalities and traditional authorities in regulating businesses.

“There will be immediate joint inspections of businesses, particularly spaza shops, conducted by the departments of labour, health, small business development, and the Home Affairs inspectorate, to ensure compliance with the applicable by-laws.

“An audit of spaza shops in villages and townships and mechanisms to register them by both municipalities and traditional leaders will be undertaken,” Minister Ntshavheni said.

As part of government’s plan, an extensive audit of spaza shops in both villages and townships will be initiated. This initiative will also include mechanisms to register these establishments, a task that will involve both traditional leaders and municipalities.

Government says the registration of spaza shops will necessitate adherence to South Africa’s Business Act, which stipulates that foreign nationals can only conduct business within the country upon investing more than R5 million.