Second hand stores must renew business licences – SAPS

The South African Police Service, in its effort to curb the sale of stolen property by reducing the market, calls on dealers of second-hand goods and pawn brokers to apply for the renewal of their business registration.

“During the release of the latest crime statistics, aggravated robberies was highlighted as one of the problematic crimes,” said Amanzimtoti SAPS communication officer, Captain Charlene van der Spuy.

“Another area of concern is the issue of cable theft, which has serious implications on our electricity and telecommunication infrastructure which ultimately impacts on service delivery at large.

Therefore, every person who runs a business of dealing in second-hand goods in South Africa, had to apply to be registered under the provisions of the Second Hand Goods Act, 2009 (Act No 6 of 2009).”

All second-hand goods dealers who have registered from May 2016 onwards must note that the five-year registration period is expiring and registration to continue doing business in dealing with second-hand goods must be renewed.

The Second-Hand Goods Act, 2009 came into effect on 30 April 2012 to regulate the business of dealers in second-hand goods and pawn brokering.

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The following process is applicable to all existing, registered second-hand goods dealers who must renew their registration:

• An application for renewal of registration must be made in terms of section 11 of the Act no more than 180 days and no less than 90 days before the expiry date of the existing registration.
• An application for renewal of registration must be made at the designated second-hand goods officer at the police station in which area the business is currently registered.
• A renewal application must be made on an SAPS 601(e) form – ‘Application for Renewal as a SHG dealer or recycler’. The SAPS 601(e) form must be accompanied by all relevant supporting documents, of which a checklist is available on the SAPS’s website www.saps.gov.za.
• A renewal application may only be granted if the dealer or recycler shows they still comply with the requirements of registration in terms of the Act.
• If an SAPS 601(e) renewal application has been lodged within the prescribed period, the registration remains valid until the SAPS 601(e) renewal application is decided on and a new certificate of registration has been issued to the second-hand goods dealer.
• Should a registered second-hand goods dealer decide not to apply for renewal, their registration will terminate upon the expiry date of the current registration certificate and they will not be allowed to continue dealing in second-hand goods. Not applying for renewal within the registered timeframe will be regarded as an immediate termination of registration.
• Renewal of registration is free of charge.

Dealers and the community can visit www.saps.gov.za for more information on the Act, as well as relevant application forms and other related material.

For more information, call Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo on 082-567-4153.