Spaza owners spurned

MUNICIPALITIES TURNING FOREIGNERS AWAY

- Itumeleng Mansa

Foreign spaza shop owners are concerned about being turned away from municipalities when trying to register their stores, according to the African Diaspora Forum (ADF).

President Cyril Ramaphosa issued an instruction last week that all spaza shops in the country should be registered within 21 days.

Amir Sheikh, ADF chair, said yesterday he had received complaints from the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Ethiopian communities. "Some municipalities came up with excuses and told them they are prioritising South Africans.

"The president did not say that the municipalities should deal with South Africans first," Sheikh said.

In some instances foreign shop owners without permanent residence were turned away.

"This is discriminatory and there's a lot of red tape to obtain some documents," he said.

Sheikh said some shop owners had been intimidated when trying to register their shops in Soweto.