Gauteng Finance MEC Lebogang Maile was addressing the media briefing to unveil the Provincial Government's plan to support spaza shop owners in registering and meeting the required business standards in Johannesburg on Tuesday. Picture: Kamogelo Moichela/IOL
There will be dire consequences for South Africans who will be registering businesses on behalf of undocumented foreigners, according to Gauteng Finance MEC Lebogang Maile.
This comes after it was widely spread on social media that citizens would register spaza shops for foreigners in exchange for money.
It is also reportedly common for South Africans to allow foreigners without documentation into their homes to use their spare property for business purposes.
Maile was addressing the media briefing to unveil the Provincial Government's plan to support spaza shop owners in registering and meeting the required business standards in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a directive that all spaza shops and food-handling facilities register their businesses within 21 days.
He emphasised that any shop that was not registered within 21 days and did not meet all health standards and requirements would be closed.
The plans are aimed at dealing with the recurring food-borne illnesses that have claimed the lives of at least 22 children across the country over the past few months.
South Africans have called on the government to intervene and blamed the government for not regulating the local businesses, which they said resulted in the deaths of many people.
“They are putting themselves at risk because there was to be an accident, it means you will be held accountable,” he said.
However, Maile promised that the municipalities and provincial government would deploy building inspectors and environmental health officers.
Although he conceded that they do not have the capacity, he said they would try to be like “holy spirits” and be everywhere to ensure that registrations would be legit and lawfully executed.
“We will visit every part of our province... whether we will be able to get into every door of spaza shop but we will be everywhere like holy spirit,” he said.
He also called on police visibility at the registration site due to foreign nationals allegedly opening unregistered spaza shops across the country.
“Foreign nationals will be required to provide valid documentation from the Department of Home Affairs authorising them to operate a business in South Africa. This must be in the form of a valid business visa or work permit.
“The eligibility for a business visa, as per South African law, is that a foreign national must invest a prescribed amount of R5 million into an existing business or provide a business plan with evidence of R5 million capital contribution,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the concerns raised by business owners about the 21-day deadline being insufficient, Maile encouraged them to start applying to register their businesses.
He said 21 days was as outlined by Ramaphosa and could not say anything beyond that.
Registration points will be at the City of Tshwane, Mogale City Local Municipality, Rand West Local Municipality, City of Ekurhuleni, Emfuleni Local Municipality, Lesedi Local Municipality, and the City of Johannesburg metro.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics
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