Environmental health weighs in on the Malanshof Spar saga
MALANSHOF – The disastrous situation of the Malanshof Spar has affected residents living on top of the shop.
MALANSHOF – Residents continue to be floored by the appalling way the Malanshof Spar shutdown was handled.
The store opened its doors for the first time on 7 February after it closed its doors in April last year. The sight of produce and stock left to rot on the shelves was not one for people with weak stomachs.
The community has been up in arms by the huge amount of waste accumulating in the store, with no stock permitted to leave the premise since the store closed a year ago.
Read: [WATCH: Flies and rats cover the Malanshof Spar after shutting its doors for almost a year
Resident, Vanessa Buckley-Louwrens, who has lived in an apartment above the Spar for five years says, “I now have an infestation of cockroaches and flies that have made living in my home nearly unbearable.” She described how, over the year that it was closed, she was bombarded by the smell of rotting food.
Buckley-Louwrens explained that throughout this period complaints were made to City of Johannesburg Department of Health by the tenants and the landlords. “I don’t know the legal background of the story between the owners, Spar and the liquidators but I don’t understand how it can take a year to have this matter sorted out,” she added.
City of Johannesburg Environmental Health Directorate in Region B communication specialist Nkosinathi Nkabinde said,
“[We] received a complaint on mentioned business premises. The Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) have visited the premises and conducted an inspection.”
He explained that an inspection was conducted recently and revealed the findings as follows,
“There was evidence of spoiled and rotten foodstuff; there was harborage [for] rodents and other pests, including an offensive smell present. The premises were still closed, not operating.”
You can also read: UPDATE: Community disgusted about Malanshof Spar
A Statutory Notice was hand delivered to Spar Head Office on 13 December last year to advise the owners that they needed to take remedial action as the premises was a health hazard to residents. The Spar responded to the City of Johannesburg that the matter was still with the High Court.
Another Statutory Notice was issued to the liquidators on 27 January to clean and clear the store within the required timeframe for compliance. Nkabinde assured that the matter will be closely monitored.
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