Spaza shop owners in Bulwer, KwaZulu-Natal, were urged to apply for the Spaza Shop Support Fund, which aims to improve food safety, promote local ownership, and ensure company sustainability in township economies. The Project Manager of the Spaza Shop Support Fund at the National Empowerment Fund, Ms Siziwe Zulu, made this appeal during her address at the Spaza Shop Support Fund interaction at Bulwer Town Hall, Bulwer, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Local Municipality, yesterday.
“The fund’s goal is to reposition township spaza stores as competitive and sustainable businesses that can generate jobs, support local suppliers, and contribute to the overall economy. To make this happen, we encourage you to apply for and get support with business refurbishment and wholesale aggregation. Businesses will also receive financial and non-financial help in the form of technical skills, regulatory compliance assistance, and capacity building,” stated Zulu.
Additionally, Zulu said the fund aims to strengthen local ownership of spaza shops, increasing the participation of South African-owned spaza shops in township and rural retail markets. Furthermore, she said the training will help businesses compete effectively against larger retailers.
Spaza shop owners can apply for R100 000, which consists of R40 000 for stock, R50 000 for assets and infrastructure, and R10 000 for non-financial support.
The Manager of Local Economic Development at Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Local Municipality, Mr Thulani Majola encouraged those that have not collected their business licenses or trading permits which are required for spaza shop owners to apply for the Spaza Shop Support Fund to collect them. He also encouraged those who have not applied to do so, so that they can also apply for the Fund.
The session was hosted by Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), in collaboration with the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD, in collaboration with the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF). The campaign follows the launch of the R500-million Spaza Shop Support Fund by Ministers Parks Tau and Stella Tembisa Ndabeni in Soweto on 8 April 2025.
Project Manager of the Spaza Shop Support Fund at the National Empowerment Fund, Ms Siziwe Zulu addressing spaza shop owners.
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Bongani Lukhele – Director: Media Relations
Department of Trade, Industry and Competition
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Siphe Macanda – Director: Communication Management
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Issued by: The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Department of Small Business Development.
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