Residents declare war on spaza shops in Kathorus

The violence also saw township residents around Gauteng, as well as in other provinces, demand that all spaza shops operated by non-South Africans in the townships be shut down. This is after residents accused informal traders of selling outdated products to the local communities.

This happened after several children in the country were reported to have died after consuming expired food. As a result, foreign-owned spaza shops were raided by angry residents who accused the shop owners of targeting communities, especially children by selling them expired food products.

Some of the expired products that were removed from some of the shops include baby cereals, baby food formulas, milk, snacks, cheese, energy drinks, bread, tomato sauce, baked beans, cough syrup and meat.
SAPS says the multi-disciplinary task team comprising of members from SAPS, health inspectors, home affairs and brand protectors will continue to prevent another food poisoning incident.

During the raids that were orchestrated by the civic body Operation Dudula, truck-loads of non-South African spaza shop owners re-grouped and fought back. They were armed with a range of dangerous weapons, such as pangas, iron rods, stones and firearms.

Gangs of youngsters were also armed with stones and sharp objects. They fought back to repel the armed foreign traders out of their townships.

The Cabinet has expressed deep concern over the recent surge of violence in the recent food poisoning incidents.

“Many of these foreigners first arrived in South Africa selling blankets and curtains door-to-door. Later they approached us and pleaded with us to rent them space in our yards to start spaza shops. Today they feed us poison and expect us to keep quiet,” said Masechaba Tsotetsi of Monaheng Section in Katlehong.

Minister in the presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, revealed that the Cabinet has fully endorsed the decisions made at an international migration workshop by die Department of Home Affairs.

During a media briefing in Pretoria, Ntshavheni emphasised the urgent need for the implementation of effective by-laws to address the challenges faced by municipalities and traditional authorities in regulating businesses.

“There will be immediate joint inspections of businesses, particularly spaza shops, conducted by the departments of labour, health, small business development, and the home affairs inspectorate, to ensure compliance with the applicable by-laws,” stated Ntshavheni.

As part of government’s plan, an extensive audit of spaza shops in both villages and townships will be initiated. This initiative will also include mechanisms to register these establishments, a task the minister said will involve both traditional leaders and municipalities.

The government says it is also striving to support traditional authorities in maintaining a comprehensive record of foreign nationals residing in their communities. Furthermore, the registration of spaza shops will necessitate adherence to South Africa’s Business Act, which stipulates that foreign nationals can only conduct business within the country upon investing more than R5m.

The ACDP, led by Rev Kenneth Meshoe, added its voice to the spaza shop debacle.

“Tragically, the children who died within a month after consuming allegedly expired snacks raises serious safety and legal worries,” said Thabo Mokeona, a councillor from the ACDP.

“In our 2021 manifesto for the local government elections, the ACDP called for more health inspectors for spaza shops selling food,” explained Mokoena.

“It is a frightening tragedy that so many children have been poisoned recently after consuming bad food. Their deaths could have been prevented.

“We call on the residents of Ekurhuleni to report expired food. They should hold shop owners accountable.“When buying food, consumers should always check expiry dates and report expired food to the SAPS. They should follow up with them to make sure that dangerous and unhealthy items are removed from shelves. This will help to create a culture of responsibility among those selling food.”