Spaza shop landlords shocked by R2,200 permit fees

On By Pranco

Hundreds of landlords in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality were shocked to learn they would have to pay R2,207 to apply for a license to rent out ‘spaza shops’.

Landlords and immigrants from Spaza shops Pakistan, Somalia and Ethiopia were summoned to a meeting at Babs Madlakane Hall in KwaNobuhle, Kariega on Thursday. The meeting was convened by SAPS, the community policing forum and a group of pastors. The pastors have an office at the police station called Spiritual Crime Prevention (SCP).

Metro land and planning director Mthulisi Msimanga told those gathered: “You are not allowed to run a business before our approval. The application review process takes between 14 and 30 days. You may only run a home-based business after the application has been approved by the municipality.”

“The landlords must visit the land planning office on the third floor of the Lillian Diedricks Building on Govan Mbeki Avenue, Gqeberha. We only want landlords, not owners of spaza shops.”

Msimanga said: “This policy was made by the councilors and we must implement it.”

Aretha Plata, from the public health directorate, told shop owners they would also have to pay R796 for a business license.

“The first requirement before you come to our office is that you have permission from the municipal planning department. We then need waste papers from you. The landlords must engage a registered service provider or the municipality to legally collect the waste.”

The third document that businesses should have is pest control, as there are dangerous chemicals in stores that can contaminate or poison food.

The fourth requirement is food safety training, whether selling sealed food or takeaways, she said.

‘You are not supposed to do decanting. Everything you sell must have a label and an expiration date. We do not allow decanting,” Plata said.

Apostle Nceba Jantjies of the SCP told the gathering: “We have elderly people who have been making a living by renting their homes to foreigners for over fifteen years… The church has long ago failed to address this situation.”

“We see that the room is full and that means that foreigners are worried; They want to obey the law.”

Mnyamezeli Luphondwana, a landlord, expressed his concerns: “Turning our homes into business premises could lead to the government taking away our (social) subsidies.”

As the meeting adjourned, shop owners pushed and shoved to get application forms from municipal officials.

(This article first appeared in GroundUp)