Nearly one year after being shut down, rat droppings covered nearly every inch of the floors at Malanshof Spar when its doors were opened recently so that it could be cleaned.
Rats, dead and alive, were scattered between stock and equipment. Much of the stock had been chewed and eaten or had been left on the shelves to decompose
Flies and maggots covered stock that was not already completely rotten or had disintegrated.
The sight of produce and stock left to rot on the shelves was not one for weak stomachs. Meat, dairy and cold drink fridges were lined with expired liquids that had spilt onto the floor, creating a thick, stinky sludge.
City of Joburg Region B environmental health spokesperson, Nkosinathi Nkabinde, said, “[We] received a complaint on mentioned business premises.”
An inspection conducted recently had revealed the following:
- Evidence of spoiled and rotten foodstuff
- Rodents and other pests and an offensive smell
- The premises were still closed and not operating.
Resident Vanessa Buckley Louwrens, who lives above the Spar, described how there had been a smell of decomposing food for months. She said every day flies and cockroaches crawled into their homes.
The community was up in arms about the huge amount of waste accumulating in the store, with no stock permitted to leave the premises since the store shut down. As a result, masses of food and stock were left to rot away.
Residents were baffled that the stock was not donated to those in need. They also want to ensure that all the produce in the store is properly destroyed due to possible contamination. Hundreds of large black bags were filled with spoiled items such as perishables, soap and detergents.
Business owner Stelios Ioannou agreed that a lot of the stock could have been donated to charity.
“I am not allowed to remove anything from the property. I would love to donate some of the items that have not been contaminated and have kept them separate. But until I get permission, my hands are tied,” he said.
Resident Vanessa Buckley Louwrens, who lives above the Spar, described how there had been a smell of decomposing food for months. She said every day flies and cockroaches crawled into their homes.
The community was up in arms about the huge amount of waste accumulating in the store, with no stock permitted to leave the premises since the store shut down. As a result, masses of food and stock were left to rot away.
Residents were baffled that the stock was not donated to those in need. They also want to ensure that all the produce in the store is properly destroyed due to possible contamination. Hundreds of large black bags were filled with spoiled items such as perishables, soap and detergents.
Business owner Stelios Ioannou agreed that a lot of the stock could have been donated to charity.
“I am not allowed to remove anything from the property. I would love to donate some of the items that have not been contaminated and have kept them separate. But until I get permission, my hands are tied,” he said.
A representative of the liquidators was contacted by the Randburg Sun, however, by the time of publication, no comment had been received by them or Spar head office.
Related article: WATCH: Flies and rats cover the Malanshof Spar after shutting its doors for almost a year
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