The African Solidarity Campaign (AfriSoc) and the South African Refugee Led Network (SARLN), supported by ACCORD, recently held dialogues with foreign national shop owners from the eThekwini and Umhlatuze Municipalities. These discussions were organised in response to the ongoing food safety crisis which has reignited tensions between local communities and foreign national shop owners, jeopardizing social cohesion in the Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Mpumalanga provinces. The dialogues align with ACCORD’s objective to enhance the role of diverse stakeholders to in addressing complex conflicts.
The first dialogue was convened on 22 November 2024 with foreign national shop owners from the Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) areas. The dialogue was robust and participants made meaningful contributions. A common concern raised by the participants was the limited time provided to register their spaza shops. They expressed that acquiring the necessary registration documents took longer than anticipated, and local municipalities were not adequately informed about the registration process, leading to further confusion and delays. Moreover, those with asylum seeker permits have faced more challenges in registering in comparison to shop owners with refugee status.
The second dialogue was convened in Empangeni, Kwa-Zulu Natal with foreign national shop owners from the Umhlatuze Municipality on 06 December 2024. Similar to the participants from the INK area, the participants raised concerns regarding the required documents and registration period. Moreover, as some have leases with or have acquired land from traditional leaders, it complicates the registration process as there is often no title deed or written lease agreement which the shop owners can produce to municipal officials. Participants also expressed robust views during the session which dealt with compliance and standard operating procedures.
Overall the dialogues provided a valuable platform for shop owners to share their experiences and challenges while engaging in collective problem-solving. A significant outcome of the meetings was the identification of practical ways to enhance food safety and compliance in spaza shops and the formation of representative committees that would liaise between municipal officials and shop owners.
