Free State-based spaza shop owner Mpho Mokhethi recently received assistance from the Moqhaka Local Municipality to help his business comply with municipal regulations.
The Moqhaka Local Municipality recently held a Spaza Shop Business Support and Compliance Programme. In order to reach as many spaza shop owners as possible, it was held in different towns: Steynrus and Viljoenskroon.
The municipality partnered with the Department of Small Business Development, the Free State Department of Economic Development and Tourism, and private sector entities in an effort to empower spaza shops
“I was happy to finally receive assistance from the Municipality’s Spatial Planning Department regarding consent use for my home business. This is an important step towards obtaining my Certificate of Acceptability (COA), and eventually my business licence so that I can qualify for the Spaza Shop Fund and other asset assistance. Although I was not given immediate approval, I was informed that I should return before the end of the month for the feedback after submitting all the required documents and paying the application fee,” said Mokhethi, who runs The Real Makoya Enterprise.
Mokhethi also said he has attended many municipal programmes in the past, but has not yet received direct support that should have helped his spaza shop to grow. However, he said he now has hope as a South African owning a spaza shop operating in a community where there are many foreign-owned spaza shops and where the competition is intense.
Some of the spaza shop owners said they applied for permits as early as last year but are still waiting for them to be issued. Some of the spaza shop owners were furious saying the municipality and the related institutions are always making empty promises and don’t deliver the services they are supposed to deliver.
Mokhethi has hope that the Spaza Shops Business Support and Compliance Programme will help expand The Real MAKOYA Enterprise by opening more stores, creating jobs, improving his life as a businessman and driving community-based initiatives that stimulate local economic development.
Banks including ABSA and Capitec, and other stakeholders including SEDA, National Empowerment Fund and SEDFA also presented to those in attendance.
The services presented included spaza shop registrations, business compliance assistance, business support, business funding, enterprise development support, banking solutions and one-on-one business advisory services.
