ENSURING COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS ARE EFFECTIVE
On Monday, 10 February 2025, the Metro's Environmental Health Services Department hosted a multistakeholder enforcement workshop at Gonubie Resort to strategise on effective ways to enforce by laws and conduct this year's compliance raids.
Stakeholders including Department of Home Affairs, South African Revenue Services (SARS), South African Police Services (SAPS) and Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) brought their expertise and input surrounding current challenges, best practices, and innovative approaches to ensuring that compliance and enforcement interventions are not only effective but also sustainable and fair.
General Manager for Environmental Health Services, Luyanda Madikizela said: "After everything we've been through last year, before we begin this year's operations, it is appropriate that we look back while planning for 2025."
"Today, we will look at some of the aspects related to food control mainly the issues related to Spaza Shops."
"Further from looking at how 2024 operations went, we need not to forget the state of our city while conducting these operations hence we've decided to revisit our informal trade by-law to workshop ourselves around permits, licencing and demarcated trade areas," said Madikizela.
In closing, Madikizela said as they resume operations now in February they wanted to ensure that they were all on the same foot with their priority being fast tracking the Spaza Shops registration process.
Matters that were raised during the workshop included challenges faced during enforcement raids. The progress report on Spaza Shops registration was also highlighted, along side the Eastern Cape concept document for compliance Information Centres.
COGTA presented a standard draft by-law on township economies which is meant to be adopted by municipalities.
Other stakeholders present were Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Eastern Cape Human Rights and Missing Persons Unit, Border Management Authority, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) Law Enforcement, BCMM Local Economic Development Agencies and Population Services International (SPI).
2025-02-11