ActionSA Gauteng welcomes the call made by ANC Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, on 6 December, for spaza shops and other small businesses to be preserved strictly for South African citizens and the mass deportation of foreigners who own spaza shops illegally.
This is a massive victory for local entrepreneurs as well as civic organisations with whom ActionSA had been advocating for spaza shops to be the preserve of locals under the banner of #Spaza4Locals.
The #SpazaLocals campaign was not merely political grandstanding but a sincere call to help reclaim our township economy and help curb the astronomic unemployment rate. We, therefore, hope that Mbalula’s statement was not intended to pacify the mass demonstrations that have taken place but will translate into government implementation.
ActionSA’s call for spaza shops to be preserved for locals is premised on the following factors:
– Most foreigners owning spaza shops are in the country illegally.
– For a foreign business to be granted a business visa, such business should invest a minimum of R5 million coming from outside South Africa. None of these foreign-owned spaza shops meet that threshold.
– The emergence of foodborne illnesses and deaths that killed over 20 children, with over 400 hospitalization cases, has been linked to spaza shops owned by foreigners.
– Over 93% of spaza shops that have been shut down are foreign-owned, indicating elevated levels of non-compliance.
– Spaza shops can be a catalyst to reinvigorate SA’s stagnant economy, especially in townships and rural areas.
– While foreign spaza shop owners, primarily employ other foreigners, spaza shops in the hands of South Africans can reduce the youth’s 60.8% unemployment rate among the 15-24-year-olds and help equip them with the requisite work experience.
We call on the provincial government to heed this call and increase the number of inspectors who will ensure that its implementation goes accordingly.
As a constructive opposition in the province, ActionSA is committed to assisting the government implement this to the fullest extent possible.
ActionSA Welcomes Call for Preservation of Spaza Shops for SA Citizens, a Victory for #Spaza4Locals Campaign
ActionSA Gauteng welcomes the call made by ANC Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, on 6 December, for spaza shops and other small businesses to be preserved strictly for South African citizens and the mass deportation of foreigners who own spaza shops illegally.
This is a massive victory for local entrepreneurs as well as civic organisations with whom ActionSA had been advocating for spaza shops to be the preserve of locals under the banner of #Spaza4Locals.
The #SpazaLocals campaign was not merely political grandstanding but a sincere call to help reclaim our township economy and help curb the astronomic unemployment rate. We, therefore, hope that Mbalula’s statement was not intended to pacify the mass demonstrations that have taken place but will translate into government implementation.
ActionSA’s call for spaza shops to be preserved for locals is premised on the following factors:
– Most foreigners owning spaza shops are in the country illegally.
– For a foreign business to be granted a business visa, such business should invest a minimum of R5 million coming from outside South Africa. None of these foreign-owned spaza shops meet that threshold.
– The emergence of foodborne illnesses and deaths that killed over 20 children, with over 400 hospitalization cases, has been linked to spaza shops owned by foreigners.
– Over 93% of spaza shops that have been shut down are foreign-owned, indicating elevated levels of non-compliance.
– Spaza shops can be a catalyst to reinvigorate SA’s stagnant economy, especially in townships and rural areas.
– While foreign spaza shop owners, primarily employ other foreigners, spaza shops in the hands of South Africans can reduce the youth’s 60.8% unemployment rate among the 15-24-year-olds and help equip them with the requisite work experience.
We call on the provincial government to heed this call and increase the number of inspectors who will ensure that its implementation goes accordingly.
As a constructive opposition in the province, ActionSA is committed to assisting the government implement this to the fullest extent possible.