Gauteng govt reiterates approach to spaza shop registration process not aimed at frustrating owners
Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile said this is why officials are willing to help shop owners to register and comply with the president’s directive.
Gauteng Finance MEC Lebogang Maile. Picture: @GautengProvince/X
JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng government has reiterated that its approach to the spaza shop registration process was developmental and not aimed at frustrating business owners.
Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile said this was why officials were willing to help shop owners to register and comply with the president’s directive.
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Maile briefed the media in Johannesburg on Thursday on the progress of the registration of spaza shops and food handling facilities in the province.
He said that over 10,000 applications for business licences had been submitted across municipalities in Gauteng.
On Wednesday, the government announced the extension of the window for the registration of spaza shops to 28 February 2025.
Maile said the number of application forms issued had also increased.
"Ten days ago, the number of spaza shops that had been issued with application forms was 13,660. This has increased by over 7,000 and now sits at 21,172. In our first media briefing, the number of applications that had been returned owing to missing documentation stood at 1,916. Since then, the number of applications received has increased, leading to a corresponding increase in the number of returned applications, which now stands at 2,677."