By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider 

The South African Spaza-Shops Association Young Traders have expressed their concerns over the lack of access they receive within townships as well as informal business sectors. 

The association has released a statement in order to call upon the government to open up state-owned buildings to be leased to young traders in order to enhance economic empowerment and foster inclusive growth.

 “It is disheartening to witness how access to business premises, especially in strategic areas, remains reserved for those who can afford exorbitant costs, leaving young entrepreneurs and emerging black owned businesses at a disadvantage,” the statement from the association read.

 The association have also expressed their concerns over the destruction of small businesses, these businesses include street vendors, local car washes as well as shop stalls in areas like Johannesburg and Tshwane.

 They have stated that one of the reasons these occurrences are happening is because these perpetrators are driven by rezoning their businesses as these small businesses are often excluded in these conversations. 

These efforts in excluding these small businesses have often led to being evicted from their space and have been disempowered economically.

 According to the statement released by the Spaza-shops association, the rezoning offices are often “unstable and appear to lack a clear mandate,” and have called on these offices to make an effort to familiarise themselves with the market. 

This constant exclusion by rezoning efforts are destroying the livelihoods of young business owners and hinder the growth of local economies according to the statement made by the Spaza-shops association.

 “We strongly call for an immediate halt to the destruction of townships businesses and urge the government to prioritize the protection and development of small scale traders” read the statement.

 “Equally important is the need for transparent, inclusive processes that enable young entrepreneurs to access opportunities and grow their businesses without fear of arbitrary displacement,” the statement read further. 

The Spaza-Shop Association have emphasised that large corporations and businesses should operate without affecting the growth of smaller businesses as well taking small business input into consideration. They have also called upon rectifying this balance in order to implement economic transformation and social equity.