Food vendor struggles to get municipal permit
Uvongo resident Johannes Hermanus Oosthuizen who has been struggling to renew a permit to run his food trailer near the Uvongo Pier despite having the necessary documents.
How are food handling facilities supposed to register their businesses in municipalities they operate in within 21 days if Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) fails to issue permits for applications made in September?
This was raised by Uvongo resident Johannes Hermanus Oosthuizen, who has been struggling to renew a permit to run his food trailer near the Uvongo Pier despite having the necessary documents.
Oosthuizen said he had been selling hamburgers, boerewors rolls, chip twisters, cooldrinks, slap chips and more for over nine years before falling sick.
“Earlier this year, I became sick, and I was admitted to hospital for an operation. After I recovered, I tried going back to what I was selling and where I was selling. However, I was then stopped because I was asked to register my business and apply for a permit. I registered my business, went to SARS, and I had my gas approval certificate. I took all those documents to RNM several times with no results,” he said.
He added that a woman at RNM who has been helping him told him to wait as the process may take over three months.
Oosthuizen said the response from RNM is shocking and discouraging because he and his wife rely on the money earned from the food trailer as they are pensioners.
The 60-year-old who is disabled relies on his wheelchair and elbow crutches for mobility.
He said he does not understand the red tape as he has the relevant documents and is willing to pay the fee requested by the municipality.
When the Fever reached out to RNM spokesperson Simon April about the timeframe to issue permits to food handling businesses and the delays in Oosthuizen’s application, a response was not received at the time of going to press.
Also, questions on whether the municipality would register spaza shops within 21 days were not answered.
Addressing the nation last Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said all spaza shops and other food handling facilities must be registered within the municipalities in which they operate within 21 days.
Meanwhile, Oosthuizen said RNM was inconveniencing him since his business is generally busy during the festive season.
“I feel helpless; I don’t know who to reach out to for help because I am trying to do everything by the book,” he said.
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