Government on Tuesday extended its support for small businesses battered by Covid-19 to informal businesses, such as spaza shops.
The Minister of Small Business Development Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said government will provide spaza shops with seed capital and money to buy stock.
“These will include buying a pre-approved basket of goods that includes produce procured from SMMEs,” Ntshaveni said.
“The scheme will also seek a credit facility with seed capital as some spaza shop owners are unable to access money to purchase stock. We are also supporting them with business management support because we know that there are problems in spaza shops running their businesses to be profitable.”
Government will also help spaza shop owners with training in bookkeeping, customer services skills and stock-taking control.
For spaza shop owners to access an array of interventions, Ntshaveni said business owners will have to provide compliance documents.
Applicants will also need Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, South Africa Revenue Services and Unemployed Insurance Fund registrations.
“We are going to facilitate the licensing of owner-operated spaza shops where they are not licensed… We also assist spaza shop owners open business accounts,” Ntshaveni said.
