Extra Charges: Spaza Shops in Ceres Spark Community Frustration

In Rooikamp, Ceres, residents are complaining and expressing frustration over extra charges added by local spaza shops for basic services like electricity, airtime, and card payments, surcharges are between R1 to R5. Although these extra costs might seem small, community members say they unfairly burden households that are already financially stretched. 

Sunshine Superette, Serine Tuckshop, and another known spaza shop, “Jou Ding Moet Pyn” have faced backlash for charging customers extra costs when they buy vouchers, electricity, airtime, or when they do card payments. Residents say that some costs are sometimes higher than the face value: for example, when you buy R12 airtime, it will cost you R13 in cash and R14 with card payment. Similarly, when you buy R20 electricity, it costs R21 in cash and R22 with a card. While some owners kept quiet about the matter, residents say that this has been happening for years. 

Sunshine Superette

The owner of the Sunshine Superette, Mr Parker, who has worked in Ceres for many years, is believed to be a South African Citizen. However, the residents claim that the other owners are foreign nationals working without South African Citizenship. “It may sound like a small amount, but it's a hole in some people's pockets,” said one resident. “We are treated badly in these shops, the people are always on their phones and if you try to return something, they insult you or they tell you that you are trying to rob them.”

Serine Spaza Shop

Most of the Rooikamp residents rely on these spaza shops because they are the only accessible option for their daily necessities. Without taxi fares to go to larger shops in town, they continue buying locally despite concerns over bad treatment and poor product quality. “You cannot even touch tomatoes or avocados before buying; if you try, they tell you to take it or leave it. Sometimes they sell rotten goods at full price,” another community member complained. 

Jou Ding moet Pyn Spaza Shop

The community is not only angry about the extra money being charged but also about the disrespect and lack of dignity. Residents describe the living experiences with these spaza shops as “living daily with the grief of the spaza shops,” with few resources to challenge the behaviour. The Rooikamp residents say they want authorities to step in, inspect the shops, and warn the owners about unfair treatment of customers. 

According to the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), retailers are prohibited from charging more than advertised prices and must make sure goods are of excellent quality. Until recently, many community members were unsure whether these charges were illegal, but the Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman (CGSO) has confirmed that it is unlawful for spaza shops to charge customers extra for choosing cards over cash payments. CGSO ombuds Lee Soobrathi said the practice contravenes Section 23 of the Consumer Protection Act, which governs fair pricing. “If I’m a customer buying a service or product, it must be clearly priced and I must pay that price. If the product is labelled R10 and I opt to pay by card, the shop cannot charge me R12 just because I'm not using cash. That's not allowed.” He further explained that guidelines from the Payment Association of South Africa state that suppliers may not apply a surcharge for card use, regardless of the amount.    

With growing frustrations, the Rooikamp community is calling for communication between residents, shop owners, and authorities to address the extra costs and to better customer service standards. “We just want fair treatment, we buy from them every day, they should respect us,” a local resident summed up.