Cape Town — President Cyril Ramaphosa has encouraged citizens not to take the law into their own hands and register spaza shops on behalf of foreign nationals.
Speaking to the media at the African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo, he said it would be wrong for ordinary citizens to try registering spaza shops as the government has measures to help register them.
“We don’t encourage people to take the law into their own hands. That is the standard approach. Government has its structures that are empowered, that have the authority to work within the law to deal with issues like this,” he said.
He explained that government officials and agencies will be responsible for ensuring spaza shops are registered and that is why spaza shop owners have been given the 21-day period to register.
“We’ve now realised that there is some crookery that is going on, where people are using other people to register when they are not registrable,” the president stated.
He emphasised the call for citizens not to register spaza shops on their own accord as they would face “needless consequences.”
WATCH BELOW:
We do not encourage communities to take the law into their own hands. We call on communities to work together with law enforcement agencies and point them in the right direction, and it is the law enforcement agencies that must take action. pic.twitter.com/UMwAYUiXq9
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) December 1, 2024
“The law can burn you wait so therefore you wait for the law enforcement agencies, you cooperate with them, you point them in the right direction, and they are the ones who must take action,” he added.
Ramaphosa further explained the government’s methodical approach to addressing non-compliant shops as those who do not meet the regulations and conditions, will be closed down. He said several spaza shops have been closed down already, especially those with suspicious storage facilities and selling suspicious goods.
According to The Citizen, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Thembi Simelane outlined strict criteria for spaza shop registration.
She said the qualifying criteria for registering spaza shops were “very specific”, and emphasised that “the owner of the business must be a South African citizen operating within the borders of the country”.
She added that spaza shops should be registered with relevant municipalities and abide by its bylaws, as well as have valid registration with the South African Revenue Services (SARS).
The justice minister warned against “fronting” businesses, citing the Immigration Act, which prohibits assisting illegal foreigners in obtaining business licenses or conducting commercial activities.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
