- The National Consumer Commission has published draft guidelines aimed at spaza shops and informal traders, and wants public comment within 45 days.
- Inspections found most informal traders checked were breaking consumer protection rules, including not showing prices properly and misleading customers.
South Africans have 45 days to weigh in on new draft rules meant to stop spaza shops and other informal traders from misleading customers.
The National Consumer Commission has published draft guidelines covering how products should be described, labelled, priced and recorded when sold, specifically targeting informal traders like spaza shops, as well as importers, suppliers and manufacturers who supply them.
The guidelines follow inspections carried out across the country between July 2024 and March 2026, which found widespread non-compliance with the Consumer Protection Act.
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Commission spokesperson Phetho Ntaba said most of the traders inspected weren't following the rules, including failing to properly show the prices of goods, and using misleading marketing to sell products.
"We have issued guidelines on product descriptions, labelling, issuance of sales records and price disclosure requirements in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act for public comment," Ntaba said.
"We have given interested parties, South African consumers and businesses, 45 days to provide their comment. This is to help South African spaza shops in particular, importers, suppliers and manufacturers to really understand and comply with the Consumer Protection Act."
If you shop at spaza shops or informal traders regularly, this is your chance to have a say in rules that could affect how clearly prices are shown, what information you're given about what you're buying, and whether you get a proper record of your purchase.
