Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced that the province will implement the new by-law and regulations for the operation of spaza shops and re-register tuckshops, following the deaths of 23 children due to foodborne illness across the province.
Since January, the province has reported 441 food contamination incidents, and 23 deaths, he said.
Lesufi said the majority of the cases involved children between the ages six and 10 years old, with Ekurhuleni having reported the highest number of incidents, followed by West Rand.
“Majority of deaths were reported from Johannesburg, followed by Ekurhuleni. Seven postmortem results out of the 19 deaths tested positive for organophosphate,” he said during an urgent media briefing with provincial and local government officials, held at Newtown, Johannesburg, on Sunday.
The toxic chemical organophosphate, known as “Halephirimi,” which means (Sun won’t set) is typically found in rat poison and commonly sold by street vendors and spaza shops packed in plastics.
The chemical which is normally used to kill rats, is believed to have caused the deaths of several children.
Lesufi said a reporting template is being developed to be utilised by hospitals, schools, community healthcare centres to ensure that we have accurate reporting in this regard.
He said he met with Members of the Executive Council, mayors, Members of Mayoral Council, speaker, chief whips, heads of departments and municipal managers to discuss the provincial approach on the implementation of by-laws and regulations for operation of spaza shops.
“We all agreed that addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach involving stricter regulations, better enforcement of existing laws, and increased public awareness about the potential dangers associated with purchasing from unregulated spaza shops and informal traders,” he said.
He added that all municipal councils will pass the new by-laws by the national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, which explains how to register a business and conduct a business.
“We are going to start weekly stakeholder engagement and consultations. We are further starting the process of re-registration of spaza shops.”
He said Finance MEC and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile and all MMCs will develop a template of re-registration for businesses, especially those that were involved in illness and deaths of children.
“Municipalities have a crucial role in ensuring the enforcement of by-laws. They are also instrumental in overseeing the informal sector, primarily through municipal policies and regulations governing informal trading.”
Lesufi admitted that the government is aware that the informal sector is a vital component of the economy, and addressing poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
”It is, however, the responsibility of informal traders to trade in accordance with legal requirements and in a manner that promotes public health and safety.”
He said they have found that some of these informal retail outlets often operate without proper licences or certificates of acceptability and sell food and household items that do not meet safety standards.
Lesufi urged residents not to buy foodstuffs that have reached the expiry, use or sell by dates.
“When buying groceries please take your time and check the dates before buying,” he cautioned.
“Please call the emergency healthcare number on 012 3456789 to report shops that sell expired goods.”
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