The newly elected mayor of Mogale City, Lucky Sele, is cracking down on spaza shops operating illegally and selling unhealthy food.
Sele revealed this during an interview with Sunday World, as communities across South Africa are up in arms due to the link between illegal spaza shops and poisonous food, which has recently claimed many young lives across the country.
Sele told Sunday World that the municipality is tackling the issue in partnership with the West Rand district municipality.
He said the municipality was implementing stricter by-laws to ensure that all spaza shops are registered and comply with health and safety regulations.
Sele said the police had shut down three unlicensed and unhygienic spaza shops and arrested two foreign nationals during a recent operation in Krugersdorp.
Regular inspections
“The municipality will be invoking by-laws to ensure frequent and regular inspection of all spaza shops that are based in a township or rural area and hold a valid trading permit, including a temporary one or business licence in the case of a general dealer,” said Sele.
“We cannot resolve the challenges of Mogale City alone, but through the collective effort of the political leadership, our administrative leadership, as well as the residents of Mogale City.”
He has outlined priorities for the municipality, highlighting service delivery improvements, economic growth, and sustainable development as the core focus of his administration.
Sele also noted that the water challenges are a concern and priority, admitting that Kagiso township is one of the most affected areas.
He said the change in seasons has made these difficulties worse.
“The Kagiso water meter has been exceeding the Rand Water allocation, and the municipality is in the process of replacing the bulk water meter in order to manage the system input.
“That will aid in managing the water demand and, at the same time, prevent the system from a total collapse,” said the mayor.
Billing issues
One of the challenging issues has been complaints from residents about incorrect billing, particularly in Krugersdorp.
Residents have expressed frustration over what they perceive to be inflated charges, especially following the recent tariff increases for the 2024/25 financial year.
However, Sele insisted that the billing system is accurate.
“Mogale City local municipality account holders are being billed correctly following the implementation of the municipal council-approved new tariffs for the 2024/25 financial year as well as the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s approved new electricity tariff structure in July.
“The municipality has been receiving an influx of queries and disputes from disgruntled clients about ‘high or incorrect’ billing,” said Sele.
He acknowledged the concerns but highlighted that residents needed to review their consumption patterns carefully.
He also committed the municipality to resolving outstanding issues concerning billing.
