On 18 December 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the registration period deadline for all spaza shops and other food handling outlets to 28 February 2025. However, the end of the registration period does not in any way suggest that the foodborne illness challenges have been fully addressed as more work still needs to be done to ensure that this sector is fully regulated and adheres to applicable legislation and health regulations. A lot still needs to be done in the value chain of business registration and compliance processes. This includes a sustained campaign on multi-disciplinary enforcement interventions, continued awareness campaigns, support and training for business owners, and regular sustainable nationwide cleanup campaigns to deal with the challenges of waste management across the country.
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