Maile: Foreign business owners must also abide by South African laws

JOHANNESBURG – Foreign national spaza shop operators looking to register their business with government must be in possession of a valid business visa or work permit from the Department of Home Affairs.
This means they would have to have invested R5 million into an existing business or provided a business plan with evidence of R5 million capital contribution, in line with South African law. 
This as government looks to regulate spaza shops across the country, following a spate of poisoning incidents that has claimed the lives of 22 children in recent weeks. 
Speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon, Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, emphasised that foreign nationals must comply with South African law. 
“Foreign business owners must also abide by South African laws in terms of the employment of workers in their businesses. The law requires that those employed in these shops be in possession of work permits, the most common of which is the general work visa. This visa is issued to foreigners where it has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that South African citizens with the relevant qualifications are not available for employment.”