Siluma View, Ekurhuleni – Residents of Siluma View in Katlehong are urging law enforcement and government officials to intervene and conduct formal inspections of spaza shops in their community, citing serious concerns over expired food items and unsafe trading conditions.
The community has been conducting its own informal inspection operations at local spaza shops, where they claim to have discovered significant quantities of expired food products. According to residents, the situation escalated after community members who purchased items they believed to be expired reported being met with hostility when raising concerns with some shop owners. However, they noted that other business owners have been cooperative and receptive to their feedback.
A community leader coordinating the resident-led inspections explained that the initiative began after repeated encounters with expired goods across multiple shops. “Each time you come across one problem, they are selling expired food,” the community leader stated. “We are not fighting with them. It can be a mistake, maybe you didn’t check a certain shelf. But when you go from shop to shop and find the same issue, we decided to engage them directly.”
The leader described the community’s approach: asking shop owners to jointly identify and mark expired items to prevent them from being resold. “We pen it together because I don’t trust that you might remove the code and write yours and then resell it again,” they said. They acknowledged that responses from shop owners have varied, with some being “arrogant” while others have agreed to work alongside residents.
Beyond expired products, residents raised additional concerns about hygiene and operational standards. The community leader highlighted that some shop operators sleep in the same premises where food is stored—a practice not seen in major retail chains like Pick n Pay or Woolworths. “If ever they want everything to go smoothly, let them comply,” they said.
The leader emphasized that the community’s efforts are not directed exclusively at spaza shops owned by foreign nationals. “I’m not targeting illegal immigrants only. I’m targeting the whole entire spaza shop in South Africa,” they clarified. The community’s broader demands include tax compliance, local job creation, and adherence to South African business regulations.
Residents also voiced concerns about the authenticity and quality of certain products sold in local spaza shops. The community leader noted observable differences in taste and reaction of items such as Coca-Cola and Eno when compared to identical products purchased from formal retailers. While acknowledging these observations are consumer-based and not scientifically verified, they called for government intervention to verify product integrity. “We don’t know whether they are manufacturing or they don’t. But whatever they are selling, it is not accordingly,” the leader said.
The community is calling on national and local authorities—including the President, the Ministry of Health, Home Affairs, and Ekurhuleni municipal officials—to conduct coordinated, shop-by-shop inspections. The leader stressed that the goal is not to shut down businesses but to ensure compliance: “If they are complying, they can sit. If they are selling good things, they can sit. We are fighting those whom are not complying with the regulations of South Africa.”
The community leader further clarified that while residents are advocating for the deportation of individuals found to be in the country illegally, they recognize that verifying legal status falls under the mandate of Home Affairs officials, not community members. The primary focus remains on food safety: ensuring that all items sold are safe for human consumption, particularly for children.
“We are fighting a peaceful war,” the community leader concluded. “Not in a harsh way. We want government to assist so that we can win this politely.”
As of Friday, officials from the City of Ekurhuleni conducted an initial operation in the area, inspecting select spaza shops for food validity and business documentation. Residents hope this marks the beginning of sustained, official oversight to address their concerns.