 | Drakenstein Municipality urges spaza shop owners to register before 6 December
26 November 2024 | Press Releases |
26 November 2024
Drakenstein Municipality is calling on all spaza and house shop owners in Drakenstein, who have not done so yet, to heed President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to register their shops at the Municipality before 6 December 2024. This is to ensure that they respond to the President's appeal on 15 November 2024 to do so within the 21-day period.
On 19 November 2024, the National Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs classified food-borne illness resulting from poor safety practices as a national disaster. This declaration encourages all organs of state, the private sector, communities and individuals to adhere to food safety legislation, standards and procedures. It also encourages individuals to comply with the applicable business registration processes.
Drakenstein spaza and house shop owners are requested to register their shops with Henk Strijdom, Manager: Land Development Management, on the third floor of the Paarl Civic Centre, Berg River Boulevard, Paarl, between 8:00 and 16:45 from Mondays to Thursdays and between 8:00 and 15:30 on Fridays. They need to bring with their identity documents, passports or any other documents proving that they are legally in South Africa.
Drakenstein Municipality's records indicate that 139 spaza and house shops in the municipal area currently comply with the Municipality's land use planning legislation. The Municipality has a bylaw and two policies in place that govern the spaza/house shop and informal trading space. The Municipality will hold a further Council workshop on 10 December 2024 to discuss a national bylaw dealing with township economy, which will be followed by public participation. In addition, informal shop owners need to comply with numerous other local, provincial and national laws.
In the meanwhile, in compliance with the Disaster Declaration, Drakenstein Municipality will together with other organs of state strengthen its support and interventions to assist the National Government in managing this disaster and in ensuring residents' safety. “While we do encourage all informal shop owners to register, the focus for now will be on ensuring that informal shops comply with laws that aim to protect the health and safety of the public. This includes having the necessary permits and refuse removal measures in place," says Councillor Stephen Korabie, Executive Mayor of the Municipality.
“Our Law Enforcement division has already been conducting joint operations together with the South African Police Service, national Department of Home Affairs, and health inspectors of the Cape Winelands District Municipality. As a result, expired food items and alcohol have been confiscated and undocumented foreigners arrested. We recognise the vital role that spaza and house shop owners play in the informal sector economy, but they need to be legal and deliver a safe service," he emphasises.
The Municipality calls on the public to be vigilant and refrain from purchasing prepared food from any business that does not display a Certificate of Acceptability for Food Premises from the Cape Winelands District Municipality.
Drakenstein Municipality also urges the public to report any expired food items or shops selling expired food items to their nearest police station or to their ward councillors whose details can be found at Drakenstein - Contact-a-Councillor.
[END]
Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
