Spaza shop owners and other food handling facilities have until 28 February 2025, to register their businesses.
Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the registration deadline for all spaza shops and food handling outlets after initially announcing the registration directive in November 2024.
This extension follows a serious incident involving foodborne illnesses, which resulted in over 890 cases and nearly 30 deaths since September 2024.
In October last year, six primary school children from Naledi, Soweto, died after allegedly eating snacks from a foreign-owned local spaza shop.
The registration is open on business days only and excludes public holidays and weekends.
Business owners who are eligible to register for this purpose are urged to visit their registration centres in their respective municipalities.
“Government wishes to thank all those who have taken the time to register their businesses and urge those who are still to register to do so urgently, as this is an important step in ensuring that these businesses uphold dignity, protect the human lives of the public they serve in which they derive their livelihoods from.”
However, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) said the deadline does not suggest that the foodborne illness challenges have been fully addressed as more work still needs to be done to ensure that this sector adheres to applicable legislation and health regulations.
“A lot still needs to be done in the value chain of business registration and compliance processes,” the department said.
Enforcing the law
Meanwhile, a sustained campaign on multi-disciplinary enforcement interventions is still ongoing.
Government has urged business owners to adhere to all the applicable legal requirements relating to the registration and ownership of a business in South Africa.
“Compliance is not a once-off matter upon registration but rather continuous throughout the life cycle of the business,” CoGTA said.
In addition to the requirements prescribed in the Businesses Act 71 of 1971, and municipal by-laws related to conducting a business, business owners must comply with the requirements of the Immigration Act, as administered by the Department of Home Affairs.
“During the initial period of the registration cycle, it has come to our attention that there are concerning incidents of fronting by illegal foreign nationals and in most instances aided by local business owners, landlords and ordinary members of the public.
“It must be emphasised that this practice is a punishable criminal offence in terms of Section 42 of the Immigration Act.”
READ | Spaza shops: Public warned against fronting
Meanwhile, Section 42 of the Immigration Act prohibits anyone, South African or foreigners, from aiding, assisting and abetting illegal foreigners in any way, including registering a business on their behalf.
“Foreigners who are legally in the country either through a valid asylum, visa or permanent resident status are also obliged to abide by the terms and conditions of their status in terms of the Immigration Act.”
According to the department, government will continue to monitor this phenomenon as the deadline for registration looms and anyone who is found to be in contravention of the legal requirements will be subjected to the full might of the law this may include the possibility of closure of business.
“As government continues to implement the interventions that were announced by the President to deal with the challenges of foodborne illnesses, it is important to emphasise the food handling and safety awareness messages both in the households and in the school environment.”
Meanwhile, harmful restricted or banned chemicals and pesticides like terbufos and aldicarb ("galephirimi") are strictly prohibited in the household environment.
“Parents, schools and caregivers must ensure that our children are kept safe and healthy from contaminated food products.” – SAnews.gov.za
