FOREIGN shop owners got a surprise visit from officials of Thembisile Hani Municipality.
The maspala’s Operation Hlasela on Wednesday, 11 October visited 15 shops belonging to foreigners in KwaMahlanga, Mpumalanga.
The officials closed eight of the shops for operating without licences and seven of them for trading with expired licences.
MMC for Financial Services Joseph Mthimunye said the shops were found to be non-compliant with environmental health standards and were issued with warnings.
"We're in a campaign to check the shops and see what exactly these shop owners are selling. This is Operation Hlasela. As a municipality we want to know how these shop owners are contributing to our economy.
"We're checking compliance in their businesses. The municipality has five cardinal pillars and number four states that people must pay for services. We've realised that these owners are not compliant," he said.
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He said: "We've discovered that others don’t comply at all as they don't have trading licences. Together with Home Affairs we have arrested illegal immigrants who didn't have permits to be in the country. We urge people to check expiring dates before buying food.
"These shop owners live with pets inside their shop that don't even have windows. We're going to continue with this campaign."
Residents said it was a good thing what the municipality was doing.
Sihle Ndala (41) said they were tired of buying fake goods.
"Recently two kids died after eating biscuits in Gauteng. So, we don't want a repeat of that. These shop owners must be investigated," he said.
Nomsa Mahlangu (29) said the state of the shops was appalling.
"We as black South Africans ignore such things and we continue to buy even though we see the bad conditions. Hunger forces us to eat anything without considering the dangers of it," she said.
Sergeant Zimkhona Mahlangu said nine foreigners without permits were arrested. She said they were charged with illegal immigration. The municipality's operation included the Nkangala District Municipality's Environmental Health and Fire Services as well as Home Affairs.
