Black Business Council Welcomes Extension of Spaza Shop Registration Deadline

• The Black Business Council's CEO, Kganki Matabane, welcomed the government's decision to extend the registration of spaza shops
• The minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, said spaza shop owners have been given until 28 February 2025 to register their businesses
• Matabane said the original deadline was impractical because the process has a lot of complications

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG—The president of the Black Business Council, Kganki Matabane, has welcomed the extension of President Cyril Ramaphosa's initial 21-day deadline for spaza shops to register. The Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister, Velenkosi Hlabisa, announced that spaza shops have until 28 February 2025 to register.

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Spaza shop registration deadline extended, government gives owners until February 2025 to register

BBC welcomes extension

According to SABC News, Matabane believed the 17 December 2024 deadline was impractical. He said that the urgency of people dying from foodborne-related illnesses warranted the deadline. However, due to the complications that arose from the process, maintaining 17 December as a deadline seemed untenable.

what you need to know about spaza shop registrations

• The government declared food-borne deaths a national disaster in response to the deaths of children from allegedly buying spaza shop food
• The government embarked on unannounced raids, and over 1000 spaza shops and warehouses were shut down during the process
• The Gauteng provincial government revealed that over 13,000 spaza shop owners registered their establishments

South Africans unimpressed

Netizens on Facebook were displeased with the BBC's stance.

Zwelinzima Simon Galawe Zweli said:

"The extension is made for those foreigners, not South Africans."

Elphus Ndlovu said:

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"Not black business council, but foreign business council."

Xolisile Mari said:

"Good decision by the government."

SANCO urges landlords to kick foreign-owned spaza shops out

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the South African National Civic Organization called on landlords to evict foreigners owning spaza shops. The organisation marched to the Union Buildings on 12 December to voice their frustrations.

A representative spoke during the march and urged landlords to close foreign-operated spaza shops. South Africans found the comments distasteful and slammed the organisation.

Source: Briefly News