Deadline looms for spaza shop registration

Spaza shop owners and food-handling facilities have until the end of the week to register their businesses for a traders’ permit, in a bid to address the recurring foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of people, including children, across the country.

Spaza shop owners and vendors have been given until Friday, 13 December 2024, to register with their respective municipalities. The registration period opened on 15 November 2024.

READ | Guide to register spaza shops

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa directed all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their respective municipalities as part of decisive measures by government to address the recurring foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of people, including children, across the country.

The interventions, the President explained, are aimed at getting hazardous pesticides off the street, protecting children from exposure to these substances, and preventing future outbreaks.

More than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed since the President announced a range of measures to prevent further incidents of foodborne illnesses.

“Since we announced a range of measures two weeks ago, multi-disciplinary teams have been conducting inspections of spaza shops across the country.

“Nearly 200 000 spaza shops have been visited. More than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed down. Large quantities of goods have been confiscated and numerous fines have been issued for violations of by-laws,” the President said during his annual address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, on 28 November 2024.

Small business owners can follow these guidelines to ensure that they are compliant with government regulations:

1. Registration for trading permits for spaza shop owners and vendors is done in municipality offices or designated sites, as per communication by respective municipalities to residents.
2. All spaza shop owners and vendors must register with their respective municipalities from 15 November to 13 December 2024.
3. Application forms for registration or permits to conduct business can be accessed physically at the municipal offices or on the municipality website.
4. The completed application form is to be received only by the municipal manager or a delegated official within a municipality.
5. The completed permit application should contain the business owner’s full name, surname, gender, and disability status.
6. Other details that must be included in the application for a trading permit are:

• the identity number of the business owner;
• the physical and postal address of the business concerned;
• location where the business will be operated;
• the description of the goods or services that the business will be selling or providing to the community;
• the citizenship status of the applicants, and
• the passport number, section 22 asylum seeker permit, section 24 refugee permit, and a valid visa allowing foreign nationals to be in the Republic to work or conduct business.

7. The applicant must provide an affidavit stating that he/she is not engaged in the trade of illegal goods, as defined in this by-law and that his/her business will operate according to the applicable norms and standards.
8. The municipality may conduct background checks on applicants, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, to verify the legality of their business activities.
9. After the application has satisfied all the conditions stated by the municipality, the business owner will be issued a registration card or permit that must be always displayed and be available for inspection.