ELUKWATINI – The Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality has been put under spotlight for failing to instill its by-laws on spaza shops owned by foreign nationals leaving locals out of business.
This is an outcry of residents from Elukwatini and its surrounding areas including Mooiplaas.
Following the recent cabinet meeting, the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni in her statement on the outcomes, deliberated on the issue of addressing spaza shop ownership in the country, including compliance.
Phindile Mathebula is one of the residents from Mooiplaas who says that the municipality has failed her and many other young local people. Mathebula and six other young ladies were selling fast food to make a living and fight unemployment.
However, many in her group were forced to close business after a local foreign shop owner who sells, groceries and hardware materials in one shop decided to sell fast food at half the price they charge.
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Mathebula and other community members called a meeting on 30 September with the local councillors and other stakeholders including SANCO, the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Labor.
“The shop owner did not produce a municipal permit during the meeting and he was told to shut down the fast food service because it was also a health hazard beside them taking away bread from our mouths,” she said.
However, the shop owner did not keep to his promise and continued selling the food. “I went and put a chain on the gate of the shop. They called the police on me and lodged a protection order against me,” added Mathebula.
SANCO Chairperson, Wyne Mashele attributed challenges related to non compliance to the municipality’s lack of action. Mashele said the municipality only started conducting inspections a year ago. This was when the organisation and community members visited local spaza shops and supermarkets including the ones in the CBD and found expired goods.
“After that, they did not go again and these inspections need to be done regularly. We have also found that they are in no possession of municipal permits. It is a problem because they do not comply with any law. Now they are selling everything and locals are left stranded,” said Mashele.
Nonetheless, spokesperson for the municipality, Thapelo Phetlo insisted that the municipality was conducting quarterly inspections to check compliance.
“The municipality has a database for spaza shops that are operating within the municipality, however the process is not exhaustive due to the fact that on a daily basis there is a new shop,” said Phetla.
