‘There has to be a plan’: Police roped in to oversee Gauteng spaza shop registrations
As part of government's aim to have a central database of spaza shop businesses, Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, said police would be expected to maintain order during registration.
Authorities conduct spaza shop inspections in Naledi, Soweto. Picture: Jacques Nelles/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - Police will be deployed to 85 registration points across Gauteng registering spaza shop businesses.
This comes after some foreign nationals were turned away from the Jabulani Civic Centre in Soweto by members of Operation Dudula this week.
The list of registration points for spaza shop owners was released on Tuesday by the Gauteng Provincial Government, spurred on by the deaths of at least 22 children following a spate of poisoning incidents.
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The registration points for spaza shop owners across Gauteng's eight municipalities follow President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Friday that spaza shop owners will have 21 days to officially register their businesses with the government, failing which they will not be allowed to operate.
Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, said police would be expected to maintain order during registration.
“Now that the police know where these registration points are, we want them to zoom into that. We will also have a discussion with the Commissioner of Police to say there has to be police visibility, and there has to be some plan because police can’t plan without intelligence. But now I hope they will have that.”
Maile also warned South Africans against registering spaza shops on behalf of foreign nationals, saying this could present legal challenges for someone if negligence or possible death arise.
“They’re actually putting themselves at risk because if there has to be an accident, it means you, having registered and being the owner of the business, are held accountable. So, it’s also riskier for them, and that’s what you must understand when you register for somebody who is undocumented, and in fact, it has happened.”
The South African government aims to build a central database for spaza shop owners to enable authorities to regulate and monitor the informal industry.
The registration points will be published on the websites of Gauteng’s eight municipalities.