Dear Edtior
The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the government to urgently address the critical shortage of Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs), whose role in safeguarding food safety and preventing foodborne illnesses is indispensable during this national food poisoning crisis.
The recent food poisoning incidents highlight the urgent need to increase and support our EHP workforce. Many municipalities are unable to meet food safety and health inspection standards due to persistent budget constraints. Despite clear evidence of the necessity of EHPs, provincial and local governments have continued to underfund these positions, which leaves many communities at risk. The latest figures show that South Africa has only 1 712 EHPs, a fraction of the 6 203 required for adequate coverage.
South Africa falls drastically short of this benchmark, achieving only 27.6% of the ideal complement nationwide as of December 2023. Most provinces are similarly under-resourced:
- Eastern Cape: 28.08% (1 per 35 616 people)
- Gauteng: 28.94% (1 per 34 552 people)
- Limpopo: 19.63% (1 per 50 951 people)
- Northern Cape: 40.44% (1 per 24 653 people)
Environmental Health Practitioners are essential in conducting regular, rigorous food safety inspections, particularly in densely populated and high-risk urban areas. According to standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Environmental Health Policy, there should be one EHP for every 10,000 people; however, South Africa currently falls woefully short of this benchmark.
This severe shortage undermines our ability to ensure that food sold in communities, especially to vulnerable populations like children, is safe for consumption.
EHPs not only enforce compliance with food safety standards but also educate local businesses on responsible consumer practices. The DA believes that food safety must be prioritised and calls for emergency funding to fill the vacancies and create positions that meet our population’s needs.
We urge the government to recognise the role of EHPs as frontline protectors of public health and act swiftly to resolve the shortage. Without these critical practitioners, South Africa will continue to fall short in protecting its citizens from preventable health crises.
Regards
Michele Clarke MP
DA Spokesperson on Health
Third Moon
Van der Merwe goes to Paris to watch the Boks take on the Brits at the world cup.
Whilst in Paris, he walks around, gaping and staring at everything – so much so that he walks smack bang into a fire hydrant which hits him so hard on the family jewels that he has to be rushed to hospital where the doctors tell him they have to remove his testicles.
Van goes berserk, he bites and snarls at every one and he won\’t let anybody within 10 metres of him. Eventually they find a South African doctor in the hospital and get him to talk to Van.
He walks up to Van and tells him \”Hey Van, die ouens moet jou knaters uithaal.\”
Van replies \”O, okay, ek dog die bliksems wil my test tickets vat.\”
Austin Shamrock
Y\’know, I could have sworn South Africa had apartheid.
Is this the Mandela Effect?