WATCH: Foreign-owned shops in Tembisa searched for fake, expired foods

The Tembisa Rising interest group, in conjunction with the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) and health inspectors, raided a number of foreign-owned shops in Tembisa on Monday, removing expired food items, reports Tembisan.

Speaking on behalf of Tembisa Rising, Musa Nhleko said the community has a serious problem with foreigners who allegedly sell spoiled food.

ALSO READ: Xenophobic looting death toll rises to three

Tembisa Rising spent the whole day raiding the shops.

“We started in Ndulwini Section, checking for expired food and checking if those shops have business permits. If they do not have business permits we close them. We cannot allow the community to continue buying expired food,” said Nhleko.

He said they were also looking into the health hazards posed by items that were sold to children.

Tembisa Rising also complained about hygiene in the stores, claiming the shop owners sleep in those shops where they keep the food items and also have toilets in the same shops.

Nhleko said Tembisa Rising held a meeting with the Tembisa community. They took a resolution to implement an operation to raid every foreign-owned shop in Tembisa to check whether they were complying and had the appropriate paperwork.

He said they would also ensure that these shops sell quality food to the community.

“We will request more stakeholders to come and assist us in the operation because we are not doing this for ourselves but for the community at large,” said Nhleko.

We call on the citizens of Ekurhuleni to be vigilant when purchasing products. All consumable goods must have a label, a list of ingredients and an expiry date. If you come across any suspicious goods, please call our Call Centre on 0860543000 & EMPD will investigate the matter! pic.twitter.com/OVuUFNLiTU

— Mzwandile Masina (@mzwandileMasina) August 28, 2018

Asked if there was possibly a xenophobic element to these activities, Nhleko denied any negative intent. He said other communities would burn down the shops, whereas Tembisa Rising’s approach is different.

He said Tembisa Rising involved health inspectors and the metro police in the operation, while a waste management team destroyed the confiscated expired items.

Expired food items seen in a police van.

Community member Nhlanhla Nkabinde said they were tired of allegedly counterfeit food items sold to them by the foreign nationals.

The executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Clr Mzwandile Masina, said on Twitter: “We call on the citizens of Ekurhuleni to be vigilant when purchasing products. All consumable goods must have a label, a list of ingredients and an expiry date.

“If you come across any suspicious goods, please call our Call Centre on 086 054 3000 and EMPD will investigate the matter.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android