Efforts To Defend Local Businesses And Safeguard Health Standards

A newly-established organisation, Together in Defence of the Township Economy TITE has partnered with other key groups to defend local businesses and safeguard community health standards.

The coalition has emerged against the backdrop of the recent tragedy in Naledi, Soweto, where six children died after consuming poisoned snacks bought from a spaza shop owned by a foreigner.

This incident has highlighted the urgent need for health regulation reform, particularly for township businesses that supply food to the public.

The organisations President, Sipho Mthembu says they have refurbished a number of spaza shops in the Naledi area in Soweto.

Here in Naledi, we are looking at revitalising 15 spaza shops in total. So, we have done four and we continue working daily. The whole idea is to reclaim our township economy spaces, not just spaza shops, because township economy is broader than spaza shops. We are also focusing on local manufacturing. So, we use spaza shops as a distribution channel for local products, says Mthembu.