The Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, will on Friday conduct an onsite visit of the registration sites of spaza shops, inspect the compliance of some spaza shops, as well as inspect the health and safety standards at wholesalers.

This as the 21 days deadline for the registration of spaza shops that was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa looms.

On 15 November 2024, President Ramaphosa called on all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their respective municipalities as part of measures to address the recurring foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of children across the country.

Nearly 200 000 spaza shops have been visited, while more than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed down.

The Minister's visit will take place in eThekwini, where she has been appointed as the District Development Model (DDM) champion by the President.

The DDM is designed to address problems with service delivery by allowing all spheres of government, from local municipalities to national government, to work together in a more effective and coordinated way.

DDM champions provide oversight and support to improve cooperation and collaboration across the three spheres of government to implement the DDM and provide strategic guidance for the development and implementation of the One Plans.

"The visit aims to provide the necessary support to the ongoing work of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and to monitor the progress that has been made so far," the Ministry of Small Business Development said.