Gauteng records 23 foodborne related deaths, mostly children

Lesufi shared this information at a Sunday media briefing, where he also unveiled new by-laws designed to regulate spaza shops.

He  mentioned that the multi-disciplinary team meetings of law enforcement agencies, held every Tuesday, will guide the steps to address the issue of spaza shops' non-compliance.

“What we have done this afternoon was to adopt a uniform approach across the province, and the first approach was to adopt a mechanism of reporting. Because we have so many deaths taking place, we want to isolate those that are foodborne  and those that need attention.”  

Several children across the country have died, while others have been hospitalized after consuming products sold at  - amongst others - local spaza shops.

Many of these items are suspected to have come from illegal shop owners selling counterfeit and expired goods.

This has led to widespread looting in some areas of especially Gauteng, and calls for the expulsion of illegal shop operators from the country.

The Premier also disclosed that a toxic substance widely used in the agricultural sector, known locally as Halephirimi, is the primary cause of the deaths. He further announced that the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, will oversee the guidance on the proper use of this substance.

“We have agreed, all of us, that the substance is banned in our province and that it must not be found in shops, informal traders and that the law will assist us to eliminate it where possible,” Lesufi said.

The Premier further clarified that the police would carry out random raids to ensure compliance, while municipalities would be tasked with adopting and enforcing the new regulations. He confirmed that all municipalities in the province had agreed to implement the new by-laws to help address the crisis.

Meanwhile, Gauteng police will begin carrying out random raids on spaza shops, starting Monday.

They have been given the authority to seize non-compliant stock as part of a provincial effort to identify the source of the contamination.

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