AS the 2025 academic year commences, community leaders in South Africa are sounding the alarm over the health and safety of children following a spate of foodborne illnesses that claimed the lives of 22 children last year.
Since September, there were nearly 900 recorded incidents of foodborne diseases, raising pressing concerns over hygiene standards in local retail outlets where many parents source snacks for their children.
With students returning to school earlier this week, the tragic legacy of these outbreaks also shines a spotlight on pressing issues surrounding health, safety, and hygiene standards.
Shadrack Mkhonto, a local councillor from Alexandra, is advocating for the registration of spaza shops owned by foreign nationals to ensure accountability and compliance with health regulations.
“While we agree with the police that communities should not take the law into their own hands, we need regulations that protect our children. This is about more than politics; it’s about ensuring our kids are safe,” he explained.
Mkhonto added that he and his colleagues are closely monitoring the situation as schools reopen, visiting various institutions to assess how they're managing food safety compliance.
“We want to see if there are tangible solutions we can offer,” he said.
Thabang Moloi, a concerned father and community leader from Pimville, Soweto, expressed his dismay at the potential risks faced by children.
“I have advised my kids never to buy anything, especially from foreign-owned spaza shops, out of fear of food poisoning. As a community, we feel abandoned and unprotected against these incidents,” he lamented.
Moloi also highlighted the urgent need for more concrete information regarding food safety to prevent future tragedies.
Calls for stricter regulations have also emerged from local residents. Neville Williams, who is also a community leader from Soweto, remarked, “We need to enforce stricter laws for spaza shop owners. If they do not meet health and safety criteria, they should not be permitted to operate. Our community deserves better.“
His plea echoes widespread concerns about the unsatisfactory living conditions that some shop owners maintain.
In response to these dire circumstances, Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale shared the government’s ongoing initiatives aimed at combating foodborne illnesses.
“We are committed to empowering communities through safety awareness campaigns, arming individuals with knowledge to identify and report suspicious food products,” he said, calling for a united front among all stakeholders, including community members and local businesses.
The Department of Basic Education has urged parents to educate their children about potential food threats. Officials emphasised the importance of compliance among all food vendors operating within school premises.
“Accordingly, tuck shops, vendors, and traders may proceed to operate on school premises only if they comply with these requirements, as per the regulations, or after completing necessary verification and compliance. School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and School Management Teams (SMTs) are reminded of their responsibility to ensure food vendors comply with all guidelines and regulations, including verifying that food items are sourced from reputable suppliers and do not contain harmful substances.”
In light of the previous year's tragedies, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, announced an extension for spaza shops and other food handling outlets to register by February 28, 2025.
This decision stemmed from a national action plan aimed at addressing the alarming issues surrounding foodborne illnesses.
In a national address on November 15, 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the critical need for compliance from spaza shops and food handling facilities.
He instituted a stern directive requiring all such establishments to register within their respective municipalities within a strict 21-day window; shops that fail to comply face imminent closure—a clear mandate for swift and decisive action.
Saturday Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za