KZN Prime Minister Thami Ntuli
KwaZulu Premier Thami Ntuli says the government will regularly inspect spaza stores and monitor illegal food smuggling at the border in a bid to combat the scourge of child poisoning and deaths plaguing the country.
Speaking at a special meeting in Durban on Friday, Mr Ntuli said the provincial strategy would ensure that spaza outlets comply with food safety regulations, and that his administration would ensure food safety, signs of corruption and unsafe practices. It said it would also run an awareness campaign to educate consumers on how to report. .
The KwaZulu-Natal government will also provide education and training to owners and staff on food safety practices, including proper handling, storage and preparation techniques. Access to resources such as hand-washing stations, refrigeration units and safe food storage solutions will also be provided, and the state will partner with NGOs to promote best practices and provide support to spaza shops.
Mr Ntuli spoke a day after the Limpopo Education Department announced that a number of children in Giyani who ate snacks and meals provided under the primary school nutrition program were taken to hospital with symptoms of poisoning.
He appealed to district heads, municipalities and senior managers across the province, as well as eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and MEC for Governance and Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi, to report that they had fallen ill after consuming food purchased from Spaza stores. He said that the problems of people are increasing. For the past two years.
“Previous reports have shown that these illnesses are associated with inadequate food safety mechanisms in town grocery stores, while others are linked to poor hygiene and food handling practices. “This is believed to be due to suspicion,” he said.
“Learners are the most affected, with some dying and being hospitalized.The vast majority are falling ill en masse after consuming products from the same vendor, and this is linked to spaza stores and this food poisoning crisis. There are also concerns regarding food packaging.
school nutrition program
Hundreds of children across the country have reportedly become ill after eating suspected contaminated food or snacks. In recent weeks, incidents have been reported in the Free State, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo.
The fact that most of those affected, including Jiyani, are primary school students has led to suggestions that school nutrition programs should also be scrutinized as a potential cause of the spate of food poisoning incidents.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said at a press conference over the weekend that there have been 441 food contamination incidents in the province since January, resulting in 23 deaths.
On Friday, Ntuli said the central government was treating the issue as a national security threat and the National Joint Operational Intelligence Organization was leading the response.
Minister in the President's Office Khumbutso Ntshaveni announced on Wednesday that President Cyril Ramaphosa would soon address the nation on the issue.
The Ministry of Health also requested the National Institute of Infectious Diseases to trace and investigate the source of poisoned food and make recommendations.
Mr Ntuli said the state government had recently received reports of suspected food poisoning in Kambana area of Umzumbe in Ugu district, where three children had died and a grandmother had been hospitalized.
“The actual cause of death has not yet been confirmed through post-mortem results, but it is believed that the victims became ill due to food poisoning and died. The three victims were children aged 2, 6 and 11. ” he said.
suppress the disaster
Mr Ntuli said KwaZulu-Natal's response was in line with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Belenkosini Hlabisa's publication of a draft standard bylaw for township economies on 4 November.
Their aim is to revitalize the township's economy by creating an environment that supports small and medium-sized businesses, with a focus on economic inclusion, job creation and local community revitalization. The law also aims to curb illegal business operations.
“In the medium to long term, there will be continuous monitoring, starting with organized multi-sectoral teams targeting districts and involving brand owners and communities to strengthen monitoring capacity,” Ntuli said. said.
“Today's meeting is an important step in aligning our efforts with national regulations and addressing KwaZulu-Natal's pressing health concerns.”
Ntuli said the provincial government would continue to carry out surprise operations on illegal aliens operating spaza shops to check the quality of the products being sold. He stressed that the operation was not “xenophobic” but a proactive action to prevent an outburst of alarm.
“We will not tolerate illegal businesses and spaza shops that put the lives of people in KZN at risk. We are told that the future of our country lies with the most vulnerable in our society, our young people and children. “They must therefore be protected by the state,” he said.
Porous border monitoring
Ntuli added that the government will strengthen border control and security measures to prevent illegal entry of people and smuggling of illegal goods.
“As part of our larger strategy, we will closely monitor border controls and increase security at all borders to combat illegal immigration and illegally entering aliens,” he said.
“Goods and services entering the state from other countries are carefully monitored, inspected and inspected to prevent the entry of illegal goods.
“Just a few weeks ago, during an operation at several foreign-owned spaza shops in the Durban CBD, police discovered cigarette packets with barcodes identifying them as jackets. clearly demonstrates the deceptive practices used by vendors to circumvent regulations.”
Another concern is that some shopkeepers are “sleeping, bathing, and conducting all personal activities in the same spaza stores where groceries are sold.”
“Such practices raise serious hygiene concerns and increase the risk of contamination. Additionally, failure to use pest control chemicals in these stores often leads to food contamination.
“Expired products are also a big problem. Some spaza owners falsify expiration dates to make it appear that the product is within the safe use-by date.”
labor exploitation
He said the KwaZulu-Natal government was aware that “some industries” were prioritizing the employment of illegal aliens over thousands of unemployed but capable locals. Ta.
“This practice not only violates labor laws, but exploits desperate undocumented aliens, often paying them far less than the minimum wage,” he said.
During the recent government crackdown in the Mandeni district of Kwasitebe, some businesses shut down because more than 90% of their employees were in the country illegally and they knew they were in the country illegally, Ntuli said. spoke.
“We will carry out further unannounced inspections in these areas to ensure compliance with labor laws and prevent such exploitation,” Ntuli said.
He called on all district and local chiefs to strengthen collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS), private security companies, Neighborhood Watch Forums and Community Policing Forums to combat illegal activities.
“Mayors should work with SAPS to organize regular operations in spaza shops and other areas of the municipality. In areas where crime-fighting forums are lacking, mayors should establish or activate these organizations. “We should take steps to do so,” he said.
“This operation is not a xenophobic campaign, but a proactive measure by the government to prevent the situation from escalating into vigilante action. Addressing these issues now will reduce dissatisfaction and resentment within local communities. and avoid potential conflicts with illegal aliens.”
