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Spaza shops and street vendors in Ekurhuleni. File picture: THULANI MBELE.
Spaza shops and street vendors in Ekurhuleni. File picture: THULANI MBELE.

The City of Tshwane has the highest shortage of health inspectors in Gauteng, with one inspector for every 60,000 people in the metro.

The ratio is below national health regulations and international guidelines, which stipulate there should be at least one inspector for every 10,000 people. This has resulted in one inspection of shops per year instead of twice, which is the minimum according to the city’s norms and standards.

Tshwane’s health director Jerry Motsamai said they only have 74 inspectors in the metro, which has a population of more than four-million. 

“Presently, we are doing one inspection once a year and mostly attending to critical matters on a reactive basis,” said Motsamai.

Tshwane’s health group head Koena Nkoko said it is very difficult to have a full database of spaza shops, which makes it difficult to inspect them all.

“The question of staffing ratio versus the number of spaza shops, one must remember most spaza shops are informal. One minute there’s a spaza shop here and the next minute it is closed so it is very difficult,” Nkoko said.

Motsamai attributed the staff shortage to budget constraints and resignations. He said they are not filling posts fast enough to close the gap.

The city’s health department has a budget of R460m for salaries for the financial year with 144 vacant posts, which would cost the city R93m to fill.

According to council documents, 285 fines valued at R1.2m were issued to food-supplying establishments in the last quarter of 2023. The fines were for food found stored on floors, unsound food and pest control challenges. 

According to Motsamai, their inspectors discover unhygienic working spaces at establishments, inadequate infrastructure and poisonous droppings, with some not having rezoning certificates.

The situation is similar in Ekurhuleni, where only 94 inspectors are available to the population of 4.2-million, with a ratio of one inspector to every 44,680 people. 

According to the director of environmental health in Ekurhuleni, Dr Jerry Chaka, the city is supposed to have 420 inspectors but numbers have dropped from 102 early last year to 94.

“The city is looking into this to improve the situation because we are facing financial constraints,” said Chaka.

In Johannesburg, there are 221 inspectors with a single inspector servicing 27,000 people. Environmental health director Peter Manganye said they lost six inspectors in 2023.

Motsamai said nobody is allowed to handle food without a certificate of acceptability. “That’s the first offence we often encounter,” said Motsamai.

Spaza shops without proper certification are in direct violation of food safety regulations, but this is only one of many concerns. “In spaza shops, you often find rats, flies or other vectors that can spread disease,” Motsamai said.

Hygiene and housekeeping are also critical concerns. “The place must be kept clean at all times. For example, if a rat urinates on a cold drink can and a customer opens it, the contamination can lead to serious health issues.”

Structural compliance is another key aspect inspectors check during their visits. “Building infrastructure is also important. If there is a leak or the structure doesn’t meet building regulations, it poses a significant risk,” Motsamai said.

Poor lighting, inadequate ventilation, and improper storage practices — such as storing food items on the ground or keeping non-food items like paraffin close to food — are frequent violations.

Motsamai also highlighted a worrying trend of spaza shop owners sleeping at their premises, which is illegal.

“Some foreign nationals sleep in their shops, maybe for security reasons, but it’s against the law.”

When violations are found, the department takes a developmental approach, specially with minor infractions.

“We give shop owners a timeline to rectify the issues, but if the violations pose an immediate risk to public health, we can issue an immediate prohibition notice and close the shop the same day,” said Motsamai.

In severe cases, he said shops are shut down immediately with locks and chains, and they remain closed until the owners comply with health regulations.

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