Councillor calls for all spaza shops to be shut down

“Residents are angry because their children continue to die from these snacks; it's confusing because these spaza shops were meant to be shut down.”

These are the words of a Soweto ward councillor after the death of an eight-year-old Diepkloof girl on Friday after eating snacks allegedly bought from a local spaza shop.

The child, whose name has not yet been released, died as residents were mourning the death of a five-year-old child, Siyabonga Mnisi, who had died two days earlier, also from suspected poisoning.

Councillor Brenda Dammie has since called for the closure of spaza shops in the area.

“This is frustrating that our children keep on dying. I still maintain that the community is divided, if they were united all these shops would have been closed. So, how do we control this death toll if the community is divided and don’t see the real danger of these spaza shops?” Dammie asked.

Yesterday, the Gauteng department of education confirmed the eight-year-old girl was a grade 2 pupil at Thabisile Primary School.

According to education spokesperson Steve Mabona, the girl fell ill on Wednesday after eating biscuits from a local shop.

Mabona said she succumbed to alleged food poisoning on Friday. 

“Her condition reportedly worsened over the next two days [after eating the biscuits], and she was taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital on Friday, where she was tragically declared deceased.

“At this stage, the exact cause of her passing remains unclear. The relevant authorities are conducting investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident,” he said. 

Siyabonga died after eating snacks from the spaza shop on Wednesday. He was with three friends at the time. The four of them were rushed to a nearby medical facility and Siyabonga died the same day. He was buried yesterday. 

According to Dammie, the community was still in disbelief after the deaths of the two children.

She said that her focus had been to bury the five-year-old boy but suddenly they have to focus on the eight-year-old who died on Friday, so it’s a mixture of feelings as a community.

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane has expressed sadness over the death of the latest Soweto child death.

Chiloane said the department has dispatched its psychosocial support unit to provide counselling to the affected family, pupils and staff at Thabisile Primary School on Monday.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and school community during this difficult time. We remain committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all learners and will continue to monitor developments closely,” said Chiloane.

Another ward councillor in the area said the family was still waiting for the postmortem results and had requested privacy until they get the full results and information.

“We are not sure whether it's food poisoning, we are still waiting for the postmortem. As soon as we get the postmortem, then we'll be able to talk to the families,” said Godfrey Tshehlo, a ward councillor.

Two weeks ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that recurring foodborne illnesses had claimed the lives of more than 20 people across the country.

Ramaphosa also called for all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their respective municipalities within 21 days to combat foodborne illnesses after an alarming outbreak in schools.

Last week, the minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, Velinkosi Hlabisa, said the government was working towards declaring foodborne illnesses a national disaster.

This comes after the National Disaster Management Center classified foodborne illnesses as a national disaster.

In Tshwane, authorities raided businesses and shut down spaza shops for non-compliance during a crackdown over the weekend.

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