Government announces R500 million fund to support spaza shops, township businesses

By Akani Nkuna

Stella Ndabeni, Minister of Small Business Development, has unveiled a R500 million fund aimed at empowering township convenience stores and spaza shops.

This initiative aims to boost local economic growth, create jobs and provide essential support to small businesses, ultimately transforming the entrepreneurial landscape of South African.

“We will now take this initiative to scale with the R500 million Spaza Shop support Fund (R150 million from DSBD and R350 million from DTIC) that will soon be launched to support township convenience shops, including spaza stores,” said Ndabeni.

“The fund will be launched in the next two weeks and a date will be communicated. Other businesses will still benefit from existing departmental funds and programmes including financial assistance by our entity SEDFA and other DFIs.”

Ndabeni addressed the media at the GCIS offices in Pretoria following the closure of the spaza shop and food outlet registration period on