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R500 million ANC spaza fund blasted by MK Party over food safety failures
The Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has accused the ANC of using the newly launched R500 million Spaza Shop Support Fund as a political tool rather than a meaningful solution to challenges facing township businesses.
The fund, introduced last week by the Ministers of Small Business Development and Trade, Industry and Competition, is meant to support local economic growth by helping small retailers in townships. But the MK Party says the move is little more than a response to public outrage and upcoming elections.
MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela criticised the fund’s timing and intent, saying it fails to address serious issues such as food safety that have recently come under the spotlight.
“The ANC is reacting to a crisis it failed to prevent,” said Ndlela. “This fund does not fix the root problems, especially after children died from eating toxic snacks bought at these shops.”
His comments refer to a spate of food poisoning cases between 2024 and 2025, which reportedly affected over 440 people, mostly children between six and ten years old. Unsafe snacks sold at spaza shops were blamed for the incidents.
Ndlela said the ANC had neglected its responsibility to regulate informal food retailers and questioned why support for local spaza shops was delayed until now.
“South African-owned small businesses should have been supported long ago. This announcement is too little, too late,” he said.
The MK Party also raised concerns about the lack of regulation and safety enforcement in township retail spaces, many of which are operated by foreign nationals. Ndlela stressed the need for tighter controls to ensure that products sold in these areas meet safety standards.
“Foreign-owned spaza shops often operate without proper licensing or safety checks. The focus must be on enforcing regulations to protect our people,” he said.
Describing the R500 million support initiative as “political grandstanding,” Ndlela said the fund fails to shield communities from harmful products and does little to protect local businesses from the pressure of cheap, unregulated imports.
“The fund does not offer a real intervention. It is a symbolic gesture that won’t solve the deep issues in township retail,” he added.
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Sourced:IOL
Picture: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
