Several Spaza shops in the Matatiele Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape have been revamped as part of Engen’s paraffin education and safety campaign. The branded Spaza shops reinforce important paraffin safety messages in both English and isiXhosa. Highly-visible sites were chosen to ensure that the messages are seen by as many people as possible.
Engen’s signature blue colour is currently easily identifiable on more than 36 Spaza shops, in Gauteng, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape. These Spaza shops feature clearly articulated messages regarding safe storage, cooking and labelling of paraffin products.
Research has found that in the absence of adult supervision, it is children who often shop, cook and oversee the household duties in many under-privileged communities. And it is these youngsters who are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of handling paraffin incorrectly.
Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray, Engen General Manager: Corporate Affairs, says as a leading supplier of paraffin, the company feels duty-bound to reinforce safety messages at every turn. “The safety of our customers and local communities is a priority for Engen. As the largest distributor of paraffin to communities across South Africa, the safe use of paraffin is of particular importance to us.”
Mntu Nduvane, Engen’s Corporate Social Investment Manager, says the company’s Spaza shop paraffin safety campaign targets stores that are well established and optimally located within these communities to offer good communication visibility. “Negotiation and contracts with store owners initiate the process. Following this, standardised templates ensure consistent branding and messaging is displayed on the Spaza shops in the targeted areas.”