The City of Mbombela (CoM) received a total of 1 201 applications for business registrations of spaza shops and food-handling facilities.
The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said 232 South Africans and 969 foreigners applied.
The most recent registration period closed on Friday, February 28, which was an extension of the initial 21-day registration period that closed on December 17, 2024.
In November last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for all spaza shops and food-handling businesses in the country to be registered at their respective municipalities. This came after several cases had been reported of children getting sick with foodborne illnesses.
Ngala said: “We will take all the applications we have received to the Ehlanzeni District Municipality for certificates of acceptability. We will work closely with the Department of Home Affairs to verify the citizenship status of the non-South African applicants. Additionally, we will work with the fire department, city planning and development in terms of zoning for businesses. We urge all applicants to note that the R125 they paid when they registered is non-refundable should the application be unsuccessful.”
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The registrations are the start of two distinct processes outlined by various sectors of the government. The first process is business compliance, in which shop owners need to register their businesses.
The second process is the compliance with health regulations, which does not depend on whether a business has been registered. Though, failure to comply with the health regulations will lead to closure.
Environmental health practitioners and other regulatory authorities will still inspect the owners of registered food-related trading businesses to ensure they are eligible to trade.
The appointment of 15 health experts to the Ministerial Advisory Committee has been finalised. The committee will develop medium- to long-term prevention measures to curb the incidences of foodborne illnesses in the country.
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On February 17, the Mpumalanga Department of Economic Development and Tourism conducted a stakeholder business licensing workshop at the Mbombela Civic Centre. It sought to decipher the new Standard Draft By-law for Township Economies, introduced by the minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, to all district municipalities in the province.
This by-law was issued in accordance with the local government’s Municipal Systems Act of 2000 and aims to create an enabling environment for small businesses in townships, support economic inclusion and fast-track job creation and community empowerment.
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