Municipalities not equipped to register spaza shops quickly: Maile

By Akani Nkuna

The Gauteng government has acknowledged that it is going to be difficult for all spaza shops to register in the 21 days stipulated by President Cyril Ramaphosa to help deal with the food contamination crisis in the country.

Gauteng finance and economic development MEC Lebogang Maile told reporters on Tuesday that concerns raised by local spaza shop owners regarding digital processing and the stipulated timeline were legitimate.

“Many business owners are concerned that 21 days may not be sufficient. Some of the concerns include that shop owners may not have resources to travel to municipal offices to register as they rely on the money they make after selling their products.

“Delays with consent applications have also been cited. These are legitimate concerns that affect particularly micro enterprises,” he said.

With the exception of the City of Ekurhuleni, local municipalities did not have adequate digital platforms for the