City of Joburg announces phased approach to shut down spaza shops

JOHANNESBURG - The City of Johannesburg has announced a phased approach to shut down spaza shops across the metro.

On Tuesday, the City’s Health and Safety Department inspected Devland Cash and Carry, a wholesaler in Soweto.

This follows the tragic deaths of six children in the area, who are believed to have consumed snacks bought from a local spaza shop.

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The store in question allegedly sources its stock from another local wholesaler.

With only 33 inspectors available in Soweto, the task of shutting down all spaza shops in the region seems monumental.

When questioned about the feasibility, MMC for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku insisted that his department had a plan to accomplish this.

“You can do it a phased approach, people must comply with reapplication and all of that. You can start with Soweto then move - or look at the area where there's a high concentration of them (spaza shops) and start moving on.”

However, Tshwaku’s stance clashes with that of the provincial MEC for Economic Development and Finance, Lebogang Maile, who argues there is no easy or legal way to close all spaza shops, whether compliant or not.