Zuko Komisa

A R500 million Spaza Shop Support Fund has been established by Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni with the goal of increasing market competitiveness so local food handling establishments and spaza stores can compete with bigger retailers.
Speaking to the media in Pretoria on Sunday, the Minister stated that the fund will be established shortly and will help township convenience stores, especially spaza stores. The declaration was made by the Minister during a briefing held after the deadline for spaza shops and food-handling firms to register with their local municipalities ended on February 28.
She stated that current departmental funds and programs, such as financial aid from the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) and other development finance institutions (DFIs), will continue to serve other enterprise
“The fund will be launched in the next two weeks and a date will be communicated,” she said adding that the fund will comprise of funds from the Department of Small Business Development (R150 million) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (R350 million).
“We are planning a to roll out a multi-disciplinary outreach programme. The purpose of the outreach program is to bring government services closer to the people through disseminating information on community convenience shops and support offerings.
“We will continue to do these things with provincial and local government and will facilitate awareness campaigns in all 52 districts and metros across the country. The awareness campaigns are scheduled to take place from 03 March 2025 to 30 March 2025.” said Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni
Listen to the full conversation here:
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