Ntshavheni takes a hard stance on foreign-owned spaza shops

By Simon Nare

Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says South Africans must make a call on the ownership of spaza shops by foreigners that she accuses of selling poisonous food that claims the lives of innocent children.

Ntshavheni said the government had introduced a law that was going to regulate the registration of spaza shops, but it was South Africans who took the government to court to challenge the move and won.

The minister was responding to questions during the media briefing on the outcomes of a Cabinet meeting amid reports of more food poisonings in Gauteng related to spaza shops.

.She said had that law been implemented, it would have prevented foreigners from owning spaza shops because they would have to fork out R5 million to invest in a business.

“All of us listening to me now know that it doesn’t cost R5 million or more than R5