The Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development has welcomed stricter controls to ensure the Spaza Shop Support Fund benefits qualifying South African-owned and operated businesses.

This follows allegations that some funds were disbursed to businesses operated by foreign nationals through South African fronts.

The Department of Small Business Development told the committee that 930 disbursements, worth about 57-million rand, had been made by July 31.

It said no funds were paid to fraudulent applications identified through verification, and no disbursement was made to a spaza shop owned by a foreign national.

Director-General Thusile Manzini says they looking to the matter of complaince.