By Johnathan Paoli
A coalition of organisations under the NGO Kopanang Africa against Xenophobia (KAAX) has criticised what it says is the government’s apathy towards plight of small businessowners regarding Tuesday’s deadline the registration of spaza shops.
KAAX spokesperson Mike Ndlovu said the long queues seen on Tuesday and calls for the registration deadline to be extended highlighted the need for responsive, compassionate government, which recognised the challenges faced by small businessowners.
“The government’s silence is not just bureaucratic negligence, it’s a direct threat to the livelihoods of thousands of small businessowners who are critical to our local economic ecosystems and will affect food affordability for millions of South Africans who rely on spaza shops,” Ndlovu warned.
The coalition is amongst a number of groups of small business organisations that have appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa for an extension.
It is asking for a three-month extension, protection for shop owners from harassment and the development of accessible, multilingual registration support.
Last month, Ramaphosa issued a directive that spaza shops and food handling facilities must register with their local municipalities or face closure. They were given 21 days.
The directive was in response to rising food-borne illnesses, which have claimed the lives of at least 23 children across the country.
Long queues formed at registration offices nationwide, particularly at the Jabulani Civic Centre in Soweto, where shop owners braved the heat to submit their applications.
Despite the urgency, many have expressed frustration at the slow-moving process and challenges in providing required documentation.
The registration drive follows an alarming number of food safety violations across spaza shops.
In KwaZulu-Natal, premier Thami Ntuli expressed deep concern over the findings during inspections in Gamalakhe on the South Coast.
“We were shocked to uncover rotten meat being kept in refrigerators, along with expired baby food and chips,” Ntuli said.
The premier, who was speaking during a briefing on provincial crime stats in Durban, emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring compliance with food safety regulations through ongoing inspections of food handling businesses, manufacturers and distributors.
He praised law enforcement’s involvement in tackling non-compliance and noted that municipal by-laws had been standardised to support the registration process.
“We expect all spaza shop owners to have registered their establishments to safeguard public health,” he said.
The eThekwini Municipality in Durban has received over 2500 applications in recent weeks.
In Gauteng alone, over 13,000 spaza shop applications have been collected as municipalities work tirelessly to process submissions.
In Bloemfontein, long lines were also reported at the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.
Despite the formal request submitted by over 60 civil society organisations earlier this month under KAAX to multiple government departments, no official response has been received.
The government is set to hold a media briefing on Thursday.
INSIDE POLITICS
