Charities and NGOs to get 5% off from Shoprite

Nonprofit and nongovernmental organisations will receive a 5% discount through the Act for Change initiative launched by the Shoprite Group.

“We have launched this card, which is tailor-made for charities and NGOs. The card comes with an automatic 5% off on all purchases that they will make at any of our brands. There are no admin fees, there are no application fees, NGOs can even put money on the card if they want, and they can have as many cards as they want,” the company’s CSI manager, Lunga Schoeman, told Radio 702 today.

Schoeman said the initiative was a response to the 1% VAT increase announced by then minister of finance Malusi Gigaba when he delivered this year’s budget speech.

The increase is set to come into effect at the beginning of April.

The NGOs and charities permitted to use the card cannot, however, use it to purchase alcohol from the group’s outlets, Schoeman added.

To apply for the card, NGOs need to visit Shoprite’s website, where an application form can be downloaded. Schoeman said the form must be submitted with certain documentation and that after 14 days, the application should be finalised once the necessary background checks have been completed.

The VAT increase has been slammed by various sectors of society, including political parties. One such party was the Democratic Alliance, which launched a petition to protest the increase.

Other formations that were opposed to the increase included unions and religious organisations.

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