14 NON-COMPLYING SPAZA SHOPS CLOSED IN WARD 10, VERGENOEG
As part of ensuring that BCM comply with health and safety environmental standards, the City conducted a multi-stakeholder joint operation on 4 March 2024 targeting Ward 10 Vergenoeg and surroundings.
The objective of the joint operations is to facilitate compliance and enforcement of legislative, by-laws and various policies across business as well as community settings in a consolidated manner by all responsible departments/stakeholders.
Speaking at the operation, BCM Municipal Health Services Acting General Manager, Luyanda Madikizela said: "The operations are targeting various issues within Ward 10 that includes street cleaning/ litter picking, clearing of illegal dumping areas, grass cutting and non-compliance within the spaza shops in the area."
"15 spaza shops were targeted in Ward 10, Vergenoeg. 14 were closed & issued with prohibition orders for operating without certificate of acceptability."
"Quantities of expired, damaged & counterfeit food products were removed including illegal pesticides in all premises visited," said Madikizela.
Madikizela also highlighted that various spaza shops are operated without certificates of acceptability, business licenses, temporal departures, fire compliance certificates in contraventions of Municipal By-Laws and related legislation.
“Participating stakeholders in the service delivery operations include, Municipal Health Services, Solid Waste Management, Environmental Management, Law Enforcement, Disaster Management, Fire Services, City Planning, South African Police Services (SAPS) and Eastern Cape Human Rights & Missing Person Unit.”
Luyanda further said that other compliance matters that are looked at during operations in spaza shops include immigration statuses of shopkeepers, sale of illegal pharmaceuticals and cigarettes products, sale of illegal pesticides, tax compliance, amongst others.
"Operations are ongoing and aimed at reaching all wards within the Municipality," he said.
2024-04-05