Thembisa residents welcome foreign spaza shops, with conditions

Some Thembisa residents say foreign-owned spaza shops are welcome in their communities, as long as they are health and safety compliant.

Amid rising learner deaths due to suspected food poisoning incidents, Gauteng residents are divided on the future of foreign-owned spaza shops in their townships.

Informal trader, maMary Ford, says government’s failure to do thorough health inspections has led to townships being flooded with expired or counterfeit goods.

And while the 64-year-old empathises with foreign nationals looking to make a better life, she is one of those who believe that they must comply with the country’s health and safety regulations.

“Our government must now take serious responsibility. We are not against the foreign-owned shops; it’s just that they must comply,” she said.

The illicit food market costs South Africa billions in revenue, with foreign-owned factories and warehouses selling cheap, potentially harmful products. This underground economy has thrived, in part, due to government inaction, with communities calling for accountability.

MaFord says while foreign nationals sell their goods for next to nothing, she must spend her hard-earned money and time traveling to legitimate suppliers.

It’s put a heavy hole in her profit margins, with her telling YNews that she’s been forced to scale down her business.

“Before this, I was selling sphathlo from my shop. Now I can only afford to sell Nik Naks for just R1,” she told YNews.

And as learners continue to succumb to suspected food poisoning from foreign-owned spaza shops, Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Jane Sithole, has urged South Africans to reclaim the township economy.

As uncertainty grows among informal traders, following the Gauteng Education Department’s decision to suspend the sale of food in and around schools, Sithole confirmed plans to assist informal vendors to get back on their feet, once the food poisoning incidents are contained.

She’s urged vendors to make use of several of the department’s programmes, including small business support and funding.