Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya doubles down on calls for spaza shops to be strictly South African-owned

• Tshwane's mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya repeated calls for spaza shops to be owned by South Africans exclusively
• Moya controversially stated that foreign nationals should be excluded from trading in the informal sector
• She doubled down on her statements when she gave an address on her 100 days in office recently

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliament and Parliamentary committees, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

TSHWANE — Tshwane mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya defended her controversial statements when she called for foreign nationals to be excluded from the informal trading sector. South Africans supported her.

What Moya said about spaza shops

During her 100 days in office public address since she was sworn in as mayor, Moya repeated a stance she vocalised in Soshanguve in 2024. She previously said local business owners should be prioritised in owning spaza shops over foreign nationals.

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She said calls for localisations were intended to address the high levels of unemployment. According to Eyewitness News, she said that localisation is for residents who want to start a business to put food on the table, and she stands by it.

What you need to know about Moya

• Shortly after she was sworn in, Moya outlined the City's 100-day plan to address the challenges the city faces including debt and infrastructure challenges
• She slammed municipal officials and Tshwane Metro Police Department officials who were arrested for allegedly stealing transformers in Laudium
• In January, she announced raids in Sunnyside as part of the Reclaim Our City campaign in Tshwane, which sought to clean the Tshwane Inner City up

Netizens support Moya

South Africans commenting on Eyewitness News's X account stood with her.

Lwazi asked:

"Why don't locals open their spaza shops and out-compete the foreigners? Locals have many advantages over foreigners, including local knowledge and access to banking."

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Lesego said:

"That's a no-brainer. And it is the late of the country."

Brandon said:

"I can't say no to that."

Wind of Change said:

"We should stand by our mayor. The mayor is right and it's time our people take charge of their local economy."

Patriotic SA Good said:

"There must be an economic sector which must fully belong and be operated by local people. She is 100% on point. I like it."

Moya said TMPD impounded noncompliant vehicles

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Moya revealed that the Tshwane Metro Police Department impounded 18 motorcycles and eight taxis during the City's Reclaim Our City campaign.

The vehicles were found to be non-compliant with city bylaws, and the TMPD said it issued fines of over R48,000. South Africans saluted the mayor's efforts in cleaning Tshwane's inner city up.

Source: Briefly News