LIMPOPO – The future of spaza shops in Giyani is facing significant uncertainty, as the majority of applicants are reportedly struggling to meet the necessary documentation requirements needed by Greater Giyani Municipality (GGM).

GGM spokesperson Steve Mavunda said many spaza shopkeepers, particularly foreign nationals, had failed to provide the necessary documentation.

As a result, their businesses are at risk of closure, as enforcement agencies are expected to crack down on non-compliant establishments shortly. The municipality has reiterated that operating without proper documentation is illegal and could lead to severe consequences.

“At present, we do not have a definite number of people whose applications have been approved. The majority have submitted their applications but failed to meet approval because they either did not have all the required documents or were not eligible to run a business.

“However, that does not mean we have stopped processing their applications. We continue to assist them one by one as they come in. As you know, most of them only started applying closer to the deadline, which is why we are currently handling more applications than we initially anticipated,” explained Mavunda.

While local spaza shop owners are also among those who have failed to meet the requirements, Mavunda stated that the majority of applications received were from foreign nationals, many of whom had little to no chance of success due to their failure to meet the necessary immigration requirements.

“Where we can be lenient is with those who have already applied for South African citizenship. Otherwise, there will be no way of success,” he explained.

On the issue of the eligibility of spaza shops that continue to operate despite failing to comply with regulations, Mavunda warned that this posed a significant risk to their businesses.

He explained that shop owners who did not obtain the necessary permits would find themselves in a vulnerable position when law enforcement authorities conducted inspections.

“As per our guidelines, any spaza shop operating without our permits after the deadline has passed is doing so illegally. This means that when the police intervene, the shop owners will have to prove the legality of their businesses,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Giyani’s CBD, the sight of abandoned or closed shops belonging to foreign nationals is becoming increasingly visible, as some shop owners begin to vacate their businesses due to the slim chances of their applications being approved.

When asked about their continued business despite non-compliance, one of the foreign owners operating businesses in the CBD, Rajesh Patel, said they were doing so to sell off stock that they could not sell in the past four months.

“While we haven’t given up on our applications to stay open, we have a lot of stock worth millions to sell before we are finally shut down; otherwise, it will be a big loss for us if we just shut down now,” he said, appealing for more time to stay open.