President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced several strong new measures to stem the cases of food-borne illnesses and deaths.

In his address to the nation on Friday evening, Ramaphosa said food-borne illnesses have claimed the lives of 22 children.

President Ramaphosa’s lengthy statement came after the public outcry and attacks on spaza shops in townships by locals. Some small and informal shops owned by foreign nationals have been accused of selling expired foods.

“Since the beginning of September 2024, there have been a total of 890 reported incidents of food-borne illnesses across all provinces.”

“Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have been the most affected, with Limpopo, Free State, and Mpumalanga also recording dozens of incidents.”

President Ramaphosa added that the National Institute for Communicable Diseases was requested to conduct scientific tests and has established that the deaths of the six children in Naledi, Soweto, can be directly attributed to a highly hazardous chemical used as a pesticide known as Terbufos.

“Terbufos can have serious health effects, even at low levels of exposure.”

“Terbufos is an organophosphate chemical that is registered in South Africa for agricultural use.”

The president further indicated that in response to these tragedies, spaza shops that have been implicated in the deaths of children will be closed with immediate effect.

“All spaza shops and other food handling facilities must be registered within the municipalities in which they operate within 21 days from today. Any shop that is not registered within 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed.”

“The South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies will be required to investigate, arrest, and prosecute offenders. This will involve close cooperation with all registered manufacturers and suppliers.”

“Integrated multidisciplinary inspection teams will undertake compliance inspections of food handling facilities, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. This will include spaza shops and general dealers.”

“Non-compliant businesses and shops linked to any poisoning incidents or found to unlawfully stock hazardous chemicals will be shut down.”

“A massive campaign of door-to-door inspection of all spaza shops, tuck shops, and other informal traders will be undertaken, starting with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.”