Friday is the last day for such outlets, including spaza shops, to register in line with a government directive issued after children’s deaths from contaminated food
Researchers say part of the problem is the lack of coordination across the nation’s sprawling multi-agency system
Businesses that miss the registration window will be closed down
The pupils fell ill after consuming a meal provided under the school’s nutrition programme and snacks
A letter, apparently written by gangsters in Philippi, warns they will kill Somalis if extortion fees are paid to their rivals
The importance of youth economic inclusion, and unpackaging key solutions to drive it
The two pillars of employability and entrepreneurship are the framework for our economic inclusion strategy
The quality of life of poor South Africans over the past 30 years continues to be ignored
Local governments back many projects where people can grow vegetables in urban areas, but researchers say that it’s not enough to curb hunger
Consumers living in such areas are spending more at spazas than big retailers, according to a report
The South African informal economy market is much sought-after, with the big, formal-sector supermarkets all looking to grow their share
The sector is incredibly vulnerable but has largely been overlooked in government’s neal attempts to deal with our current crisis
The police and people roving empty streets are intimidating, it’s difficult to replace stock and business has dropped
New companies are plugging the funding gap for small businesses, especially in townships
‘The persecution of the weak and the vulnerable finds new iterations all the time’
Police are currently on scene to quell the violence and looting
Bids to unleash their economic potential have failed largely because the motives, networks and practices of the informal economy are ignored.
Small business operators and politicians seem to be singing from the same bellicose hymn sheet.
About half a dozen people have been killed in the latest outbreak of looting and xenophobia. It appears South Africa has learnt little since 2008.
Despite state denials that xenophobia is behind the violence, the attacks on foreign township shop owners appear to have a political edge to them.
Why is good business sense such a foreign concept, Lisa Steyn asks Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu.
Working with small business is good for big business, the economy and job creation.
Thuletho Zwane interviewed the new minister of small business development, Lindiwe Zulu, about local and foreign-owned spaza shops.
Foreign-owned spaza shops are again becoming a hot political potato for the ANC.
Spazas are a major component of the informal economy, but big retailers’ push into townships to target rising consumer spending is setting them back.
Even with competition from large retailers, small businesses thrive in Soweto, which appears to accord with strategies in the ANC-supported NDP.
Standard Bank has been signing up thousands of new clients each month to an account that is cheap and easily accessible.
But foreigners have the competitive edge, which
has exposed them to jealousy and violence.