Picture: North West MEC for DEDECT, Virginia Tlhapi during compliance inspections in Sekhing village/Facebook
By OBAKENG MAJE
The residents of Sekhing village and its surrounding areas near Taung said they were happy to see North West MEC for Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT), Virginia Tlhapi conducting compliance inspections on various business outlets, including local taverns.
According to one of the residents, Modiakgotlha Selemo said, there is a trend in their village, where young people indulge in alcohol. Selemo further said, that most tavern owners do not follow their license trading regulations as they continue to sell alcohol to young people.
“It is a disgrace to constantly see young people carrying alcohol in public. We just wonder what kind of society we are raising. Some tavern owners do not comply with the rules and regulations of their licenses.
“If one raises those issues, he becomes enemy number one. So, we are happy with the attempts from the government to impose a stern warning in an attempt to whip them in the right direction. Tavern owners sometimes operate beyond their trading hours and that also becomes a problem,” he said.
Selemo further said the government should ensure there is compliance with tuckshop owners, especially those owned by foreigners. He added that, most foreign-owned tuckshops sell expired goods.
“Most of these tuckshops sell expired goods. They also sell drugs to young people. When we complain as a consumer, they just ignore us. So, Let the operation be carried out beyond this event,” said Selemo.
Meanwhile, Tlhapi said as part of the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme – Thuntsha Lerole, they embarked on this initiative to ensure that, businesses in the region uphold trade regulations. She said the aim is also to create a safer environment for customers and safeguard their rights.
“Apart from the department, we had officials from the Environmental Health Inspectors in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District and the South African Police Service (SAPS). The team, amongst other things, focused more on tuck-shops in Sekhing.
“All tuckshops inspected were found to be non-compliant in terms of Sections 23 & 26 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2006. The transgression included a failure to disclose the price of goods, and to provide sales records. Additionally, the shops were found to be selling condemned food items and lacked certificates of acceptability.
“Pest control issues involving cats were also observed and seven foreign national shopkeepers were detained for document verification. The joint efforts also seek to ensure that, district businesses adhered to the regulations outlined in the Consumer Act and the Liquor Regulations Act of 1989,” she said.
Tlhapi said during the inspection, three establishments were closed.
“One establishment was non-compliant with Sec 38(1) by allowing an unauthorized person to oversee the business. Furthermore, fines amounting to R3000 were issued to the leaseholder for leasing liquor outlets without the approval of the liquor authority.
“During these inspections, two illegal gambling machines were also confiscated from local stores by the North West Gambling Board following the Gambling Inspection Compliance Act of Section 56 of 2001. The presence of illegal gambling and underage gambling remains a pressing concern within our communities,” she said.
The Guardian 