Deadline draws closer for registration of spaza shops

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.