Call for government to extend deadline for Spaza shop registration

'The purpose of the exercise seems to be missed'

The South African National Christian Forum (SANCF) says the 21-day deadline to register spaza shops is both unfair and not clear enough as spaza owners race against time to register their business before the Tuesday deadline. 

SANCF president Bishop Marothi Mashashane has called for the government to come up with clear directives and to extend the registration period. Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the registration of spaza shops in response to the crisis of foodborne illnesses that have claimed more than 20 children. 

Owners of the spaza shops were given 21 days to register their businesses with relevant authorities in their province. 

Mashashane said the SANCF had visited several municipalities that until Tuesday had no clear directives on “how to implement the project”. 

“It was never clear if the 21-day period is inclusive of weekends or not. Second, after the announcement by the president, the municipalities were not ready to implement the process immediately and most people were turned back until November 27 when forms were designed for applications, but even after they received forms there were no directives on how to qualify or disqualify applicants,” he said. 

He added that some of the municipalities had received applications but failed to issue any proof of receipt or acknowledgment letter, and some did so without personalising the letter which meant one letter could be used by many.

“We saw today [Tuesday] that municipalities like Emfuleni were starting to call people to collect their acknowledgment letters,” he said. 

He added they also witnessed more delays when foreigners were trying to register, as they were being hindered.

“Therefore the purpose of the exercise seems to be missed because the initial purpose was to save lives, including those in informal settlements,” he said. 

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