CITY OF TSHWANE TO CONTINUE ACCELERATED SPAZA SHOP BY-LAW INSPECTIONS AMID EXTENSION
OF APPLICATION DEADLINE
By Sarah Mabotsa
MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning
The City of Tshwane will continue to conduct by-law inspections of spaza shops amid the decision by the national government to extend the deadline for spaza shop registrations.
The initial deadline to register and trigger the process of obtaining operating licences was on Tuesday, 17 December 2024.
The new deadline is 28 February 2025. The City has recorded 4 048 spaza shops as of 17 December 2024. We believe there are far more people who have yet to register and will now have the added opportunity to ensure they comply.
It is important to note that the registration process forms part of a broader compliance process.
Businesses will still need to comply with health and environmental requirements, or their establishments will not be allowed to continue operating.
While the City welcomes the registration extension, we want to remind the public that this grace period will be accompanied by increased and accelerated efforts to inspect non-complaint spaza shops.
We have closed many spaza shops in recent weeks as part of the Mayoral Executive’s 100-Day Re A Spana programme.
These operations are intended to protect our communities against illegal and contaminated food sold at some establishments.
We will intensify efforts as we head into the new year, determined as we were when we first began in October 2024.
We thank the thousands of Tshwane business owners who have used our online webpage to register their spaza shops and small businesses.
A breakdown of the registration applications received so far: 1 709 (52%) were from South Africans and 1 569
(48%) were from foreign nationals.
About 770 applications are still to be collated.
The City of Tshwane online application process, which can be accessed at www.tinyurl.com/tshwanespaza, will remain open 24/7 until the end of February 2025.
Spaza shop owners must submit, as a minimum, their personal identification documentation, such as a South African identity document or valid Home Affairs visa or identity documentation, their home address and the address of
their business.
The City of Tshwane registration page links with the Department of Home Affairs database to ensure that identification numbers entered are valid.