EAST LONDON- The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality(BCMM) is taking a firm stance against unregistered owned businesses operating in the metro. This move comes after a meeting between BCMM Mayor Councillor Princess Faku held with the representatives from SARS, provincial Department of Home Affairs, South African Police Service(SAPS) and BCM’s 40 s foreign spaza owners.
The meeting was held at East London City Hall on the 18th November 2024 and included all foreign nationals, including Somalians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Ethiopians.“The purpose of today’s meeting is to inform shop owners of the president’s communication on compliance standards, which must be met within 21 days,” Cllr Faku said.
Furthermore, the meeting emphasized the need for shop owners to meet compliance standards within 21 days, as per South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive. Mayor Faku stressed that most stalls that had been raided lack proper documents and urged owners to close non-compliant stalls.
Somalian leader Nassir Musa Abdi assured that his community would abide by the president’s orders. The foreigners present also emphasized that they source products from reputable stores like Big Daddy.
Abdi said, “We are Somalians who abide by the South African President’s orders and we will ensure that no lives are lost because of our stalls.”
To address the issue, metro officials will conduct workshops to educate shop keepers on operational requirements. With around 2000 shops in the metro, Mayor Faku is determined to uncover the sources of products sold by these businesses.
Photograph: BCMM
