Gauteng Health MEC laments poor Ekurhuleni spaza food safety standards

Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, has lamented the lack of food safety standards at some of the local spaza shops in Ekurhuleni townships.

The MEC, together with City of Ekurhuleni officials and local councillors, conducted a food safety blitz in the area following the recent spate of deaths and children falling ill after eating snacks from local spaza shops across the country. 

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced this week that forensic tests unveiled those six primary school children from Naledi, Soweto, were killed by a highly toxic organophosphate called Terbufos.

The children aged between six and nine had allegedly eaten snacks from a foreign-owned local spaza shop that officials concluded was contaminated by this lethal pesticide.

READ | Death of six Soweto children linked to Terbufos

According to Nkomo-Ralehoko, who was part of the interdepartmental team that visited spaza shops on Friday, the initiative aims to educate the public about food safety and monitoring compliance with food safety standards by local businesses and protecting public health. 

Some of the things confiscated at one of the shops illegally occupying municipal land in Alra Park include spices and snacks and expired sour milk and meat. 

“Some of the foods are on the floor and not on the shelves. We’re going to close the shop to ensure they follow the right processes and channels. But this place mustn’t be open again for illegal trading even if it means the municipality has to demolish it,” she stressed. 

The MEC said she would also rope in the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) team after it was discovered they were also selling “wrong” medication. 

“These spaza shop owners aren’t compliant and the building itself, they’re using municipal land and that’s why we are closing it,” she said while speaking outside the shop with journalists.

Last week, the National Department of Health rebuffed claims that government is neglecting the issue of children dying from suspected food poisoning.

However, government said the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) is currently treating the recent spate of deaths as a national security threat.

“These increasing incidents in black communities have led to an unfortunate and unsubstantiated perception that authorities are turning a blind eye to this crisis and seem not to care about what’s happening to citizens. 
“Contrary to these beliefs and perceptions, this is what various authorities have been engaged in,” a statement from the department read.
READ | Food poisoning incidents treated as national security threat

The Health Minister has now involved the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to assist in these cases. 
Meanwhile, the inspectors from the department are also working with the teams selected from the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Agriculture and the National Consumer Commission (NCC), under NICD’s direct supervision. – SAnews.gov.za

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