Over twenty illegal foreign nationals have been arrested and expired products confiscated in Mankweng, outside Polokwane in Limpopo.
Various shops owned by foreign nationals received a surprise visit from officials from the Economic Development Department.
Officials from the department were accompanied by Home Affairs and SA Revenue Services.
MEC for Economic Development Rogers Monama says there are only 30 registered shops in their database in Mankweng, but over 1 000 shops are operating in the area.
“We’re not necessarily xenophobic in targeting the foreign-owned shops, but any spaza shops that we find, and among others, we check the products that they are selling and the number of shops that we have already raided, and we have discovered that their food has expired. Others, you find that they are not complying in terms of the building standards. You have seen that they close their windows. So, we are also told that the maize meal is also being used as a makeshift for sleeping, and those maize meal are the ones that are sold to our own people.”
Operation Phakama | Police conduct raids on foreign owned spaza shops in Limpopo:
