By Dylan Bettencourt
- The government extends the spaza shop registration deadline to Tuesday 17 December, giving owners extra time to get their papers in order.
- More than 13,600 shop owners in Gauteng have already registered, while 541 shops were closed for breaking health rules.
Spaza shop owners racing to get registered can breathe a little easier. The deadline is now Tuesday, not Friday, as many people thought.
The new date comes because the 21-day countdown started the Monday after President Ramaphosa’s announcement, and weekends don’t count. With Monday being a public holiday, officials pushed the deadline to Tuesday.
CoGTA Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa cleared up the confusion about when shop owners must register.
“We know there’s been confusion about the deadline. Let me be clear — spaza owners have until Tuesday, 17 December, to register,” Hlabisa told The Citizen.
In Gauteng, more than 13,600 shop owners have already signed up at 85 registration points across the province. But it’s not just about paperwork — shops must be clean and safe too. Health inspectors have shut down 541 shops that broke the rules.
The registration drive started after children died from eating food bought at some spaza shops. This led to Ramaphosa saying last month that all spazas must sign up with their local council.
Spaza owners must have their Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) papers, health certificates and council licences to register. According to the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Department, shops must also be safe.
Registration offices are open from 7:30am to 4pm every day. Staff are there to help owners sort out their papers before Tuesday’s deadline.
Pictured above: A spaza shop.
Source: File
