Bulk buying and illicit goods give foreign-owned spaza shops the edge, Ntuli claims

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli says research shows foreign nationals own the majority of the province's spaza shops.

Nearly 60% of spaza shops in KwaZulu-Natal are owned by foreign nationals, Premier Thami Ntuli said this week. He attributed their competitive advantage to factors such as bulk buying, cooperative business models, links to wholesalers and, in some cases, the sale of illicit goods.

Ntuli said research conducted by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) found that 57.8% of spaza shops in the province are owned by foreign nationals, while South Africans own 42.2%.

He made the remarks at the KwaZulu-Natal Spaza Shop Roundtable in Durban on Tuesday, hosted by the provincial government and led by Ntuli and EDTEA MEC the Rev Musa Zondi.

The comments come amid a series of anti-illegal immigration marches across the province.