Spaza Shop Registration Deadline Extended, Government Gives Owners Until February 2025 to Register

• The South African government has extended the deadline for registrations for spaza shop owners
• President Cyril Ramaphosa previously gave owners a 21-day period to register their businesses
• 42,915 applications were received at the 392 registration centres established across the provinces

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has spent a decade reporting on the South African political landscape, crime and social issues

GAUTENG - Spaza shop and foot handling outlet owners in South Africa have been given more time to register their businesses as government continues to deal with the foodborne illness crisis in the country.

Following the expiration of the registration period on 17 December, the government have decided to extend the period.

President Cyril Ramaphosa previously gave spaza shop owners 21 days to register their businesses in response to the spate of foodborne illness-related deaths in the country.

Government extends deadline to February 2025

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Gauteng Provincial Government reveals over 13000 spaza shop registrations received

During a special press briefing about the registration drive, Velenkosini Hlabisa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), confirmed that the registration deadline for all spaza shops and food handling businesses has been extended to 28 February 2025.

This news will be a relief to many owners who complained about the limited time they had to register.

Appeals were made to the government to extend the period, which they have now done.

In noting all the hard work done during the 21 days, he stated that 392 registration centres were established across all nine provinces.

He added that 42,915 applications were received during the registration period.

Out of that number, 19,386 have been approved. Hlabisa also noted that 1,041 were closed due to not complying with health regulations.

What you need to know about the spaza shop registration drive

• President Cyril Ramaphosa implements a 21-day registration period
• Calls made for Ramaphosa to step down following registration announcement
• Local woman accused of registering spaza shops for foreigners
• Over 13,000 spaza shop registrations were received in Gauteng

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15 People killed in Eastern Cape accident, minibus taxi and SUV collide near Graaff-Reinet

Foreign-owned spaza shops come under fire

The outrage over foreign-owned spaza shops is by no means a new thing, but it escalated on 8 October following the death of five children.

Briefly News reported that the Soweto youngsters passed away after allegedly consuming snacks that they bought from a spaza shop.

The incident sparked widespread anger in the area as residents demanded that spaza shops be closed down to prevent further tragedies.

Source: Briefly News