Cape Town Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews has flatly denied that the City penalises pensioners for selling koesisters, doughnuts or vetkoek from their homes, calling the viral narrative deliberate misinformation.
“No, the City is not penalising pensioners for selling koesisters, doughnuts or vetkoek from their homes,” Andrews said in a written statement. “That claim is false, and those spreading it are misleading the public.”
Andrews said the City only acted after receiving complaints from the community. The properties in question, he said, had signage, stock and increased foot traffic operating visibly as businesses affecting neighbouring residents.
“There is a difference between someone trying to put food on the table through a small home-based activity and a property operating as a full business,” he said.
Home baking requires no permit, Andrews said. A home operating as a shop does.
The City, he added, remains committed to approving home businesses where possible. Andrews described the tuck shop economy as a lifeline for working-class families covering school fees, transport and basic necessities.
Residents respond
The story, quickly dubbed “Koesister Gate” on social media drew a wave of public reaction.
Suraj Raghubar called on the City to stop penalising households already under financial strain. “It is an individual’s inherent instinct to live the best possible life they can,” he wrote on social media.
Double standard questioned
Leoné Malan raised a different concern, shifting the focus to spaza shops. She questioned why street vendors were permitted to trade freely without permits, while spaza shop owners faced compliance requirements. Most spaza shops, she said, were clean operations run by people who had sacrificed their own living space to build a business.
Arthur Charles Van Wyk questioned the City’s approach to home businesses in Cape Flats communities.
“They do this because they barely scrape by financially. Not for fun,” he wrote.
Andrews said the message from the City was clear: “Let us have a conversation.”
ALSO READ: Cape Town urges residents to save water after storms disrupt treatment plants
