Spaza shops to toe the line
Small businesses have no choice but to accept government policies.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura fired his first warning shot to foreign national spaza shop owners who are not complying with the by-laws of this country.
Speaking during his State of the Province Address (SOPA), last Monday, Makhura said that he would shut down spaza shops which consistently violate Gauteng city by-laws.
He said, “Many foreign township entrepreneurs are being squeezed out of business by unlawful foreign-owned spaza shops. I will have inspectors visiting township and inner cities to conduct an inspection and shut down this illegal business.”
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A foreign national working at a spaza shop in Sigodiphola, known only as ‘Toto’ said the government should talk to his boss.
Toto said, “We do sometimes sleep in the shop, but it is because we close late at night and we do not have a place to sleep. Sleeping inside the shop gives us the advantage to reopen the store early in the morning before 6 am.”
Malkamu Jigra, an Ethiopian shop owner, said that his shop was following the by-laws of this country and that he was not afraid of any police raiding his shop.
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He said, “Our foreign shop owners must educate their employees and instruct them to refrain from sleeping inside their spaza shops.
“They must remember that we are selling food, which needs us to follow procedures put in place.”
Jigra said that he attended a workshop educating owners to include a separate bathroom and bedroom from their shops. He also lambasted shop owners who continue to violate the by-laws.
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Dobsonville police spokesperson, captain Jenette Phefo said that three foreign national owned spaza shops were recently broken into in Bramfischerville Phase Two.
She said, “Three shopkeepers who were asleep inside the shop were awakened by a loud noise from the roof.
“One of the shopkeepers woke the others who rushed outside and found that the thieves had plundered the shop of a number of items as well as an undisclosed sum of cash.”
