The ANC in eThekwini has moved to harden its stance on informal trading, saying it wants the municipality to carry out daily raids and shut down all spaza shops owned by undocumented foreign nationals. The political push comes as tensions over migration, small business ownership and law enforcement continue to flare in Durban and across parts of South Africa.
In a statement, the party said any undocumented foreign nationals found operating from containers or spaza shops should be arrested and deported, rather than processed into the system. The message from the ANC in eThekwini was blunt: it believes local economic opportunities are being eroded by illegal foreign immigration, and it wants the ANC-led government to move quickly to stop that.
According to the party, the municipality must not treat the issue as a once-off enforcement exercise. Instead, it wants a sustained campaign of compliance checks, inspections and closures aimed at informal businesses that are not operating within the law. The call is likely to intensify an already heated debate in townships where spaza shops remain a vital part of everyday commerce.
The ANC said its position is rooted in protecting local residents and the township economy. It argued that opportunities that should benefit South Africans are being taken up by undocumented migrants, and it wants the local state to intervene before the situation worsens. For many residents, the issue is not just about business ownership, but also about unemployment, safety, and who gets to participate in the informal economy.
This latest intervention follows a wave of anti-migrant protests in recent weeks in several parts of the country, including eThekwini. The protests have reflected rising anger in some communities, where informal traders and foreign-owned spaza outlets are increasingly being targeted in public debate. While supporters of tighter enforcement say the state has failed to regulate the sector properly, critics warn that mob politics and blanket shutdowns could punish lawful traders and deepen social tensions.
Our understanding is that the ANC’s eThekwini position is not being framed purely as a policing matter, but also as a political and economic one. The party is trying to draw a line between legal and illegal trading, while signalling that local business recovery must be central to any response. That message is likely to resonate with communities that feel excluded from the township economy.
ANC in eThekwini pushes daily raids as township business tensions rise
At the same time, the party has also instructed the municipality to establish a spaza shop fund aimed at reviving and supporting shops owned by locals. That proposal suggests the ANC wants to pair enforcement with some form of economic intervention, rather than simply closing businesses and leaving the sector in limbo. It is a recognition that informal trade remains one of the few income streams available to many households.
The idea of a fund could be significant in a city like Durban, where township spaza shops are often family-run, thin-margin businesses that depend on loyal customers and quick turnaround stock. If the municipality is serious about supporting local traders, the details will matter: access to finance, stock supply, licensing support and safety will all be key issues. Without those, the fund risks becoming another political promise.
The party also said it would be meeting with leaders of March and March, although it did not provide further detail on the planned engagement. That meeting could prove important, especially if the group has played any role in shaping protest activity or local mobilisation around foreign-owned businesses. For now, the ANC appears to be trying to manage both the political heat and the practical realities on the ground.
The broader national context cannot be ignored. Across South Africa, the debate over undocumented migration has become one of the most volatile political issues of the year, particularly in relation to informal trade, jobs and service delivery. In many communities, residents say the state has been too slow to enforce by-laws, immigration rules and trading regulations. In others, there is growing concern that foreign nationals are being scapegoated for structural problems that go far deeper than the spaza shop economy.
What makes the ANC in eThekwini move notable is the firmness of the language. Calling for daily raids and the immediate closure of foreign-owned shops is a far more aggressive posture than routine enforcement. It signals that local political leaders are under pressure to be seen acting decisively, even as civil society groups, traders and legal experts are likely to scrutinise the constitutional and human rights implications.
There is also the question of how such operations would be carried out in practice. South African law requires due process, and any action against traders would need to be based on proper evidence, valid permits, and immigration status checks conducted lawfully. If the municipality is to embark on a campaign of this kind, it will need to ensure that enforcement does not become arbitrary or discriminatory.
For now, the message from the ANC is that it wants to protect what it sees as the local economy of eThekwini. But the real test will be whether the municipality can enforce the rules fairly while avoiding further unrest in communities already under strain. As we have seen in recent weeks, the spaza shop debate is no longer just about small businesses — it has become a flashpoint in South Africa’s wider struggle over jobs, migration and economic survival.