LIMPOPO – The Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM), together with law enforcement agencies, conducted a spaza shop blitz operation in Lenyenye on Thursday, June 25.

The operation involved officials from the police, the traffic department, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Mopani District Municipality.

Unhygienic conditions uncovered

During the announced inspection, officials uncovered serious health and regulatory violations at several spaza shops.

At one shop, inspectors found a kitchen in an unhygienic condition, with dirty floors, while food was being prepared for sale.

At another outlet, a storeroom that also doubled as a bedroom was found to be dusty and infested with cockroaches. Snacks stored there had no expiry dates.

Inspectors also found expired food items, as well as counterfeit clothing and cigarettes, at some of the shops.

All expired food and counterfeit goods were confiscated by municipal officials and removed for destruction, as they were deemed unfit for consumption.

Three foreign nationals arrested

As a result of the inspection, three foreign nationals were arrested during visits to five spaza shops. The shop owners were taken to the Maake Police Station, where they were fined for operating without the required documentation.

The affected shops were also closed for contravening the Limpopo Business Registration Act and the Standard Gazette By-law on Township Economies.

Mixed reactions from residents

The operation received mixed reactions from the community. Many residents welcomed the initiative, with some calling for the deportation of illegal shop owners.

However, others, who asked not to be named, expressed concern about the closures, saying the shop owners often assist them with food during times of need, allowing them to pay at the end of the month.

GTM Mayor Odas Ngobeni said the municipality is taking the illegal operation of spaza shops seriously and described the blitz as only the beginning of ongoing inspections.

“We found some buildings to be in poor condition, and some of the food items had expired. We cannot allow this to continue,” said Ngobeni.