Licensing workshop for SMMEs
Business licences are valid for three years, however, business owners are encouraged to inform the city of any change that may affect the registration status of the business.
The City of Ekurhuleni is moving with speed to tighten the business regulation control systems which include a proper business registration, amid rising concern about the quality of food sold in local spaza shops.
This is to ensure proper zoning and demarcations for businesses are done to avoid contravening of by-laws, as well as cross-contamination of foods by any airborne ailments in case of business in food retailing or handling.
The city held a business licence workshop at the Kempton Park Civic Centre on Monday, to ensure entrepreneurs in the catering industry know the licensing process they need to go through before they start operating.
This is to complement their cooking skills with compliance with by-laws and reliable food quality by getting professional help from the city.
Nana Mogari, the owner of Monate Monandi Catering Projects, attested to the benefits that would accrue from the knowledge they get from workshops of this nature.
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“It is understandable that one cannot sell food next to premises that run a barbershop or a scrapyard which is prone to attract pests and rodents,” Mogari said.
“Enforcement of the by-laws will ensure businesses do not emerge and mushroom from nowhere without proper municipal zoning and ultimately affect negatively properly zoned established premises.”
She was reassured by the intervention, that will see businesses being guided and assisted through rezoning so there are assessments by designated professionals on the location and on whether the zoning and business model is suitable for the environment the applicant would want to operate in.
Speaking to the entrepreneurs, Henry Prinsloo, the local economic development officer, said the city will have more workshops to encourage more businesses to go through rezoning so they can effectively participate in the formal economy and reap the benefits.
The business licence workshop is part of Gauteng government’s flagship programme popularly known as Qondis’Ishhishini lakho, which seeks to help small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) to fix their businesses and to unlock bottlenecks for business owners to effectively participate in the mainstream economy, in line with the Gauteng economic development plan.
Business licences are valid for three years, however, business owners are encouraged to inform the city of any change that may affect the registration status of the business.
For more information on businesses registration and licensing, interested parties may contact Henry Prinsloo on Henry.Prinsloo@ekurhuleni.gov.za
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