Spaza shop owners urged to register before deadline

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz via www.pexels.com

The deadline for registration is 28 February 2025.

“The registration is open on business days only and excludes public holidays and weekends. Business owners who are eligible to register for this purpose are urged to visit their registration centres in their respective municipalities,” the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) said on Thursday, 13 February 2025.

Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their respective municipalities as part of decisive measures to address recurring foodborne illnesses.

When the pronouncement was made last November, all spaza shops and food-handling facilities had to register with their respective municipalities within 21 days. However, the deadline for registration was extended to 28 February 2025.

In the previous registration period, government observed that some of the spaza shop owners and food handlers did not have adequate information and knowledge regarding issues of compliance with health and safety requirements for running a business.

“This is also true regarding compliance with municipal by-laws and other requirements regarding the registration of their business establishments. In this regard, government has put together a training and support programme to assist all eligible owners to comply with these requirements,” Natjoints said.

The Department of Small Business Development, in partnership with other government entities in the business development and support environment, has been conducting training sessions to empower small businesses with knowledge and information required in the sector.

This programme will continue beyond the deadline of 28 February 2025 to ensure that business owners comply with the legal and regulatory requirements.

Business owners can contact the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (Sedfa) at +086 010 3703 or 012 748 9600 for more details of training or support offered to small business.

Compliance with health regulations

Government’s multi-disciplinary enforcement interventions responding to the food-borne illness outbreak has helped to curb the immediate threat and strengthened focus on addressing the challenges and gaps in the legal and regulatory framework environment.

“The end of the registration period, on the 28 February 2025, does not in any way suggest that the foodborne illness challenges have been fully addressed as more work still needs to be done to ensure that this sector is fully regulated and that it adheres to applicable legislation and health regulations.

“A lot still needs to be done in the value chain of business registration and compliance processes. This includes a sustained campaign on multi-disciplinary enforcement interventions, continued awareness campaigns, support and training for business owners, regular sustainable nationwide cleanup campaigns to deal with the challenges of waste management across the country,” the Natjoints said.

Natjoints said there will be zero tolerance for non-compliance with health, environmental, and food handling regulations and other requirements.

“These multi-disciplinary enforcement interventions will continue to be undertaken by our law enforcement agencies and environmental health inspectors on both registered and unregistered establishments in terms of the existing legal and regulatory framework.

"These interventions help ensure that areas where such businesses are conducted are free from the use of harmful, hazardous and dangerous pesticides including other banned chemicals,” the Natjoints said.

Harmful, restricted, or banned chemicals and pesticides, like Terbufos and Aldicarb ("galephirimi") are strictly prohibited in the household environment.

“Parents, schools and care givers must ensure that our children are kept safe and healthy from contaminated food products,” Natjoints said.