GEORGE NEWS - The clock is ticking for spaza shop owners across South Africa as the government's 21-day registration deadline fast approaches. 

Spaza shop owners have until tomorrow, Friday 13 December, to register their businesses. 

Introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, this compliance push aims to curb illegal operations and ensure food safety standards in response to a rising number of cases of suspected food poisoning.

It followed the death of more than 20 children across the country after they ate snacks from local spaza shops and vendors.

Several owners, including local business owner and chairperson of the Southern Cape Foreign Business Association Liban Ali, said they were happy to comply with the registration process but didn't think 21 days were enough for everyone to register.

 "We would like a reasonable extension, of maybe three or six months, to the deadline so that everyone can register," says Ali.

In the meantime, blitz operations continue with more spaza shops being closed.

On Tuesday 26 November, the George office conducted a blitz operation in the industrial area, focusing on wholesalers. This operation targeted wholesalers because spaza shops source their stock from these suppliers, and the aim was to ensure the safety of the stock being distributed.

A total of eight shops were visited, and three were closed due to poor hygiene and the absence of a valid Certificate of Acceptability (COA). The Department of Agriculture seized illegal insecticides and insecticides labelled in a foreign language.

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