'They will regret it': Lesufi warns locals involved in fraudulent spaza shop registrations

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has issued a strong warning to South Africans assisting undocumented foreign nationals to register their spaza shops. 

Earlier this week, tensions rose at a registration point in Soweto after community members were found attempting to register on behalf of suspected undocumented migrants.

Thousands of spaza shop owners across the country have been lining up to comply with the president’s directive to register their businesses within 21 days. 

READ: Govt appeals to public not to disrupt spaza shop registration process

There was a moment when tensions escalated in Soweto, shortly after a man was caught attempting to register a spaza shop on behalf of an undocumented foreign national. 

Several other residents surrounded him in anger, tearing up copies of his ID document and questioning his intentions.

Lesufi said such fraudulent behaviour would not be tolerated. 

"So I dare them, those South Africans that think can abuse our kindness and sell out our country by giving other people that are not properly registered to be in our country to operate our businesses. They will regret the day they agreed to that arrangement," said Lesufi.

Lesufi said there are systems in place to prevent the fraudulent registration of spaza shops.