Sedibeng: The Sedibeng District Municipality in Gauteng is set to be the next venue for the national campaign aiming to raise awareness about the Spaza Shop Support Fund. An interactive session is scheduled to take place at the City Hall in the Vereeniging Central Business District on Friday.
According to South African Government News Agency, this segment of the campaign will provide spaza shop owners and township-based convenience store operators with essential information on how to apply for financial and non-financial support from the R500-million fund. This fund was introduced by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau and Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni in April to boost the participation of South African-owned spaza shops in the retail trade sector within townships and rural areas.
The national campaign is led by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), following successful engagements in KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo. These events have attracted a large number of township-based entrepreneurs eager to learn about accessing support from the fund.
The initiative is executed in collaboration with the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), which are agencies of the DSBD and the dtic. These entities are tasked with administering the fund.
The campaign’s objective is to strengthen the township economy by supporting South African-owned spaza shops and township convenience stores through various means. These include providing access to affordable stock via delivery channel partners, infrastructure upgrades such as shelving, refrigeration, and security, Point of Sale devices, and training programs covering business skills, digital literacy, compliance, credit health, and food safety. Additionally, partnerships with local manufacturers, black industrialists, and wholesalers aim to enhance supply chain inclusion.
These initiatives are designed to increase the competitiveness of township businesses and ensure they have a meaningful presence in the broader retail sector. The campaign also encourages bulk buying and the use of locally produced goods, enabling spaza shops to reduce operating costs while improving their access to quality products, as stated in a joint statement by the dtic and the DSBD.