Food-borne illness crisis: Over 20 SA children lost in 2024, will it be more this year?

South Africa faced a devastating food safety crisis in 2024 as food-borne illnesses claimed the lives of over 20 children, prompting nationwide outrage and urgent government action.

The national worry and concern over the deaths of children due to food-borne illnesses began slowly in late 2023, with sporadic cases reported in different provinces.

The incidents reported in 2023 were only the beginning.

2024 food-borne illness incidents

In February 2024, a Grade 1 girl from Mandlethu Primary School in Tsakane, Gauteng, died after consuming biscuits from a local spaza.

A few weeks later, school officials at Raleledu Senior Secondary School in Uitzicht, Limpopo, served food to a Grade 9 pupil, and the 15-year-old child died shortly afterwards.

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At the time, the Gauteng Department of Health revealed that since the first food poisoning incident reported in October 2023, it has recorded cumulatively 861 foodborne incidences, which have resulted in 11 deaths.

Reports of hospitalisations and deaths of children surged almost daily in late August and early September, bringing the tension and tragedy surrounding these incidents to a boiling point.

On August 12, three pupils from Evaton Primary School in Sebokeng died after consuming pap, milk, and biscuits at home.

Evaton pupils ate pap, milk and biscuits

On 29 August, two Tshwane siblings died after presenting with food poisoning symptoms at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital. They had earlier shared a common meal (pap and soup) at home.

In another incident on the same day, parents brought three Vosloorus children, aged three, five, and six, to Jabulani Dumane CHC, where they presented with symptoms of vomiting and body weakness.

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Medical staff pronounced the three-year-old and five-year-old neighbours dead on arrival, while medical personnel resuscitated the six-year-old and transferred them to Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital for further medical care.

Tragically, by September, Gauteng had recorded 207 cases of food poisoning affecting children since February, with ten cases resulting in death.

The Ekurhuleni district recorded 119 cases with four deaths, followed by Johannesburg with 40. Tshwane had 31 cases with four deaths, while West Rand district had 14 cases, and Sedibeng district had three cases and three deaths.

Deaths of six Soweto children

The deaths of six Soweto children in October who died after eating snacks bought from a spaza shop in Naledi sparked widespread outrage in South African townships.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that the children “unequivocally” died of organophosphate poisoning. Organophosphates are a class of chemicals usually used for agricultural purposes, medications, and nerve agents.

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“The organophosphate identified in this instance is called terbufos. All six children died of terbufos injection,” he said.

Terbufos is found in pesticides.

Community members shut down spaza shops in the area and across South Africa, blaming them for the incidents after children were hospitalised.

Spaza shops shut down by communities

National Consumer Commission (NCC) inspectors and law enforcement agencies across the country conducted inspections, finding expired food on shelves and discovering that some owners lacked proper documents to operate.

This Naledi incident raised the question of whether South Africa had a serious problem on its hands.

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Education and social justice activist Hendrick Makaneta said the crisis needed urgent attention from the government, including the Department of Education.

“We are expecting the matter to be investigated and the report to be made public so that those who will be found guilty can be held accountable,” said Makaneta.

Matakanye Matakanye, general secretary of the South African National Association of School Governing Bodies, also demands that the department take more action.

More action needed

“It is not the first school in the country to experience food poisoning incidents, but the government is not doing anything about it. We can’t stand and watch while our children are dying,” said Matakanye.

The Department of Basic Education, however, said parents should take responsibility for what their children consume and encourage them not to buy food or snacks from informal traders.

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“Parents, guardians and caregivers are urged to be on high alert and to monitor the food items children consume and, most importantly, to verify the source of such items,” said Basic Education Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.

By early November, a 10-year-old girl from Alexandra died after eating snacks from a store.

President Cyril Ramaphosa sparked anger among families of the deceased children and concerned citizens by waiting until November 15 to address the nation, despite at least 22 child deaths.

Ramaphosa’s family meeting, finally

He attributed the deaths to illegal pesticides, revealing that food was being stored alongside pesticides and detergents.

Ramaphosa conceded that people use pesticides to combat rat infestations, which are often caused by poor waste management in several municipalities.

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“Rubbish is not collected regularly; streets are not being cleaned, creating conditions for rats and other pests to thrive,” he said.

“Often, the poorest communities are the worst affected, and often the cheapest remedies that are used are these highly hazardous substances like Terbufos and Aldicarb.”

The president emphasised that there is no evidence to suggest that the problem is exclusive to spaza shops owned by foreign nationals.

The problem is not exclusive to foreign-owned spazas

He ordered the shutdown of spaza shops and street vendors implicated in the deaths and mandated all spaza shops and food handling establishments to register with local municipalities.

Ramaphosa warned spaza shop owners that failure to register their businesses would result in consequences.

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A nationwide drive ensued, with municipalities and law enforcement inspecting and closing non-compliant stores, alongside a public education campaign promoting food safety and proper handling of hazardous chemicals.

In November, the classification of children’s deaths due to food-borne illnesses as a national disaster confirmed the severity of the issue.

On 21 November, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa classified foodborne illnesses as a national disaster.

National disaster

He announced that authorities classified the children’s deaths due to food-borne illnesses as a national disaster on Tuesday, emphasising that this move did not constitute a declaration.

“We are in the process of doing due consideration for the declaration of the disaster. The classification helps to activate all departments to start taking action in relation to the challenge on hand, so it is sufficient as a base,” he said.

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Additional reporting by Thando Maeko, Masoka Dube, and Faizel Patel.