Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi Image: Gauteng Department X
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has revealed that 23 children have died, with 441 spaza shops food contamination cases reported since January.
These cases are caused by the severe food safety crisis that has primarily affected children between 6 and 10 years old who ate snacks from spaza shops near schools.
“Seven postmortem results out of the 19 deaths tested positive for organophosphate,” Lesufi said during a media briefing on Sunday.
Johannesburg has recorded the highest number of deaths, followed by Ekurhuleni, while the West Rand has reported significant suspected food poisoning incidents.
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In response to the crisis, Lesufi said the Gauteng government announced an intervention plan following an emergency meeting with executive mayors, MMCs, speakers, heads of department, and municipal managers.
“We all agreed that addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach involving stricter regulations, better enforcement of existing laws, and increased public awareness about the potential dangers associated with purchasing from unregulated spaza shops and informal traders,” Lesufi stated.
He said the province was implementing immediate measures including mandatory re-registration of spaza shops, particularly those linked to illnesses and deaths, implementation of new uniform by-laws across all municipalities, weekly engagements and meetings, and regular health inspections and compliance monitoring.
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While acknowledging the informal sector’s vital role in the economy, Lesufi emphasised the need for proper regulation.
“Government is aware that the informal sector is a vital component of our economy as it affects people’s livelihoods, provides opportunities for many who would otherwise be marginalised, and is essential for tackling the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment, and inequality,” he said.
He added that it had been discovered that many informal retail outlets operate without proper licensing or certificates of acceptability, often selling products that don’t meet safety standards.
In response to this, provincial officials have come up with an emergency healthcare number (012 3456789) for reporting shops selling expired goods.
According to the premier, a new reporting template is being developed for hospitals, schools, and community health care centers to ensure accurate incident tracking.
Law enforcement agencies have been instructed to shut down non-compliant shops immediately.
Lesufi said Gauteng government will conduct weekly municipal meetings and provide media updates every Sunday to address the crisis.
“It is the responsibility of informal traders to trade in accordance with legal requirements and in a manner that promotes public health and safety,” Lesufi concluded, urging residents to carefully check expiration dates on all food they buy.
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