Gauteng Finance and Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile has revealed that out of more than 13,600 registration forms issued to spaza shops, only 4,500 have been returned as of Tuesday.
This announcement comes as the 21-day registration deadline, set by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, is set to expire on Friday.
During the registration drive, approximately 541 spaza shops were shut down for non-compliance, Maile confirmed.
“The registration process has been streamlined to reduce red tape for business owners while ensuring compliance,” said Maile. He highlighted that Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni municipalities have digitised their application processes, with other municipalities progressing toward full digitisation. In parallel, municipalities are working on establishing by-laws regulating spaza shop ownership, adopting a draft model standard by-law.
Maile stated that any extension to the registration deadline would depend on the President, but for now, the Friday cutoff remains.
To assist applicants, the MEC assured that the 85 registration centres across Gauteng will remain operational.