MAHIKENG MAIL-MAHIKENG: MEC for DEDECT, Virginia Tlhapi, together with the department’s Consumer Affairs unit, Liquor Regulations unit, NWGB, and SAPS, embarked on their ongoing business compliance inspection and awareness education programme during the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme, Thuntsha Lerole, on Friday in Mmasutlhe within the Mahikeng Local Municipality.
During the inspection, all the tuck-shops visited were found to be violating consumer legislation. The transgression included noncompliance in terms of price display, which could lead to consumer exploitation, and the sale of expired food items and products without proper labelling, which were removed from the shelves.
Consumers are advised to ensure they purchase products with proper labelling. In case of adverse health effects, proper labelling allows for the identification of the product’s manufacturer, facilitating necessary investigations to ensure consumer safety. Keeping sales records is also crucial as it shows where the product was bought, which is important for redress.
All the businesses inspected were unregistered, raising concerns about violations of the North West Business Licensing Act. The department encourages all businesses to register and cooperate with its data capturers, who are employed to assist in the registration and updating of the business database in the province.
In enforcing compliance with the National Liquor Act, the team issued notices of noncompliance to two outlets for contravening section 38, having an unauthorized person in charge of the business, and section 42, utilizing an unauthorized structure. Tourism establishments around Mahikeng were also inspected to ensure the maintenance and enhancement of facility standards and services.
During this Thuntsha Lerole operation, North West Gambling Board officials destroyed 28 illegal gambling machines confiscated in Lomanyaneng Village during the previous business compliance inspection, which aims to fight the promotion of underage gambling.
As part of encouraging communities to keep the environment clean, the Environmental Services unit donated trees to Ngwana Sejo Early Learning Centre and Maano Agric Focus School as part of its greening programme.
