NSPCA welcomes long-awaited reform for lion captivity breeding ban

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CAPE TOWN - The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has  welcomed the announcement by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, on the imminent publication of the Lion Prohibition Notice banning new captive lion breeding facilities.   This long-awaited reform marks a pivotal milestone in dismantling an industry built on systemic cruelty, reflecting years of legal action, public advocacy, and inspections by the NSPCA. The prohibition confirms what the NSPCA has long exposed: the captive lion industry has operated largely unabated for decades, inflicting severe animal welfare violations, damaging South Africa’s conservation reputation, and flouting constitutional obligations to protect sentient beings. While limited to new facilities, this ban sends a clear signal that the commodification of lions for tourism, hunting, and the bone trade is no longer defensible. The NSPCA’s decade-long investigations have laid bare the industry’s brutality. O...
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Deadline draws closer for registration of spaza shops

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GAUTENG - Spaza shop owners and other food handling facilities have until 28 February 2025, to register their businesses. 

Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the registration deadline for all spaza shops and food handling outlets after initially announcing the registration directive in November 2024. 

This extension follows a serious incident involving foodborne illnesses, which resulted in over 890 cases and nearly 30 deaths since September 2024.

In October last year, six primary school children from Naledi, Soweto, died after allegedly eating snacks from a foreign-owned local spaza shop.

The registration is open on business days only and excludes public holidays and weekends. 

Business owners who are eligible to register for this purpose are urged to visit their registration centres in their respective municipalities. 

“Government wishes to thank all those who have taken the time to register their businesses and urge those who are still to register to do so urgently, as this is an important step in ensuring that these businesses uphold dignity, protect the human lives of the public they serve in which they derive their livelihoods from.” 

However, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) said the deadline does not suggest that the foodborne illness challenges have been fully addressed as more work still needs to be done to ensure that this sector adheres to applicable legislation and health regulations. 

“A lot still needs to be done in the value chain of business registration and compliance processes,” the department said. 

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