Call for simpler process to register spaza shops
A civil society group has appealed to the government to ease some regulations on spaza shops, to make it easier for traders in townships to access support.
The Count Me In Movement says some of the challenges include high licensing fees, complex paperwork, and a lack of assistance for those in rural areas.
The group's Sbongile Mpanza says many traders want to be able to formalise their businesses but can't get over compliance hurdles.
Mpanza says it's blocked them from applying for the R500 million Spaza Shop Support Fund.
Mpanza feels one-stop compliance centres and mobile support units should be set up to help traders work through these challenges.
READ: SA faces tough trade-off as looming US tariffs threaten jobs, economy
" We want the government to simplify it [and] accept affidavits as form of submission as some people live in informal settlements, which don't have title deeds. Yet, they still have to live to survive on the shops that they operate. Not every business on the ground is a spaza shop business.
"Some people are selling food. So, when it comes to registration, it needs [to be] specifically for spaza shops.
“[It] makes other people who have been in the industry [feel] frustrated [because they feel they] are going to be disqualified because they are not [recognised as] a spaza shop."
Find us on social media
Follow the ECR Newswatch WhatsApp channel here
MORE ON ECR
