Spaza shop registration extended — but owners still worried about February deadline

Kebru Tesema (42), an Ethiopian who has been operating a spaza shop in Mofolo in Soweto for 13 years, says the government is doing the right thing, but also pleads for assistance for shop operators like him who have established themselves in communities. (Photo: Bheki Simelane)

By Bheki C. Simelane

18 Dec 2024

The deadline for the registration of all spaza shops and food handling outlets across the country has been extended to 28 February 2025 after many store owners struggled to register within the initial 21 days.

Outlining the reasons for extending the registration for all spaza shops and food handling businesses to 28 February 2025, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa said the government understood the concerns raised by some stakeholders about the registration deadline.

Hlabisa, who was speaking on Wednesday, 18 December, a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 21-day registration deadline expired, said the initial deadline was set to address the urgent need to ensure compliance with health and safety standards after a series of foodborne illnesses and deaths allegedly related to spaza shops.

spaza soweto People queue on 17 December 2024, on what was the final day of spaza shop registrations before the deadline was extended, at Revenue Customer Service Centre in Soweto. (Photo: Gallo Images / Fani Mahuntsi)

He said a lot of work had been done over the 21 days, including, approving 19,386 applications in the 392 registration centres across the country.

A total of 42,915 applications were received for processing by officials between 15 November and 17 December 2024.

Many spaza shop owners had voiced their frustration while trying to register, citing issues such as the struggle to gather the required documentation in time and closures or inefficiencies at registration offices.

Hlabisa emphasised that registered spaza shops still needed to obtain a trading licence.

“Those who have registered their businesses and have duly received their acknowledgement of registration still need to undertake a further process to obtain their trading licences. For this process, environmental health practitioners and other regulatory authorities will still inspect owners of registered food-related trading businesses to ensure that their businesses are eligible to trade,” Hlabisa said.

Registered businesses may trade while they await their final licences, but they will be immediately closed if they are found to be non-compliant with health regulations.

Read more: Naledi families wait for justice as government races to enforce spaza shop registration deadline

Hlabisa said the extension had been considered in consultation with the President after looking at all the work done. He said the government was aware that some had decided to stay away and not register their businesses.

On 15 November 2024, Ramaphosa ordered all spaza shops to re-register within 21 working days after 23 deaths, mostly of children, had been recorded since the beginning of the year.

The deaths were allegedly linked to spaza shops and their alleged sale of lethal pesticides. Ramaphosa’s call came after pleas to regulate the spaza shop sector.

Registration struggles

Speaking before the extension announcement, Elda Sibonisiwe Dhlamini, from Protea North in Soweto, said her registration had been stalled because she didn’t have a floor plan.

Dhlamini pleaded with the government to assist store owners with such documents. She said she first registered her shop with the CIPC in 2013.

“I have done everything they asked of me. I just need help with the house plan now,” she said on Tuesday at the registration office in Jabulani, Soweto.

spaza kebru tesema Kebru Tesema (42), an Ethiopian who has been operating a spaza shop in Mofolo, Soweto for 13 years, says the government is doing the right thing, but also pleads for assistance for shop operators like him who have established themselves in communities. (Photo: Bheki Simelane)

Kebru Tesema, a 42-year-old Ethiopian store owner who had tried to register his spaza shop in Jabulani, said the government would have to extend the deadline.

On Tuesday, he was attempting to register his business for the third time after he said he was turned away on previous visits by anti-foreigner group Operation Dudula.

Tesema noted multiple problems with the process and highlighted the challenges foreigners faced in registering their businesses, but said he was confident the government would assist those wanting to register.

“I believe that the government will be upfront with us and go on to assist us fully register our shops purely on merit,” said Tesema.

“Honestly, the date has to be extended because of this and also the fact that for days the offices were not opening because of safety concerns,” he said.

On Wednesday, Tesema said the February extension was insufficient: “It’s not enough because [of] stuff such as the re-zoning.”

He said shop owners who leased stores were having trouble getting help from their landlords for the required documentation.

Enforcement and compliance

Hlabisa said that during the registration process, enforcement teams had conducted intelligence-led operations on stores, warehouses, supermarkets, and other food handlers. He said non-compliance was punished with the closure of businesses or confiscation of non-compliant goods. He said 1,041 spaza shops had already been closed.

The minister said inspections had also been carried out on imported food items, as well as medication, drugs and pesticides at ports of entry.

In October, it was revealed that six children in Naledi, Soweto, died after ingesting a highly toxic organophosphate called Terbufos, which some spaza shops were allegedly selling.

Read more: Tragic deaths of six Soweto children linked to lethal organophosphate poisoning – investigation ongoing

“One of the most important initiatives we have undertaken is the roll-out of a public education and awareness campaign aimed at children of school-going age, teachers and their parents,” said Hlabisa.

“It is important that we intensify this campaign, especially during this busy festive season and in preparation for the opening of schools in early January. The messages on food safety and the dangers of pesticides in domestic environments are quite critical in reducing the risk of infections and food contamination.”

Speaking before the extension of the registration deadline, Dr Vanya Gastrow from the Institute of Security Studies questioned the effectiveness of the registration programme in reducing deaths related to pesticides. She called for a wider public awareness campaign.

“I don’t think the registration of spaza shops is an effective method to prevent the domestic use of the pesticide Terbufos in South Africa. I think a more targeted approach is needed that raises public awareness of the dangers of the chemical combined with tracing where Terbufos stocks in non-agricultural markets originate from and their distributive networks,” she told Daily Maverick.

“The rushed registration process will leave many spaza shops unregistered and subject to harassment, extortion and business closure. This will undermine township economies and livelihoods and increase xenophobic tensions.” DM

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Registration struggles

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